Ciao (hello; hi [Informal])
Ciao! is the most common way of saying hello and goodbye informally. You should never use it with someone like a boss or a teacher or anyone else with whom you're using Lei (the formal version of you).
Salve! (Hi; Bye [Formal/Informal])
Che piacere vederti! (How nice it is to see you! [Informal])
Buongiorno! (Hello; Good morning; Goodbye [Formal])
Buona sera! (Hello; Good evening; Goodbye [Formal])
Use the longer Buon giorno and Buona sera in more formal situations, like when you enter a store.
Ciao! (Hi; Bye [Informal]
Salve! (Hi; Bye [Formal/Informal])
Ciao! Ciao! (Bye-bye!)
Buon giorno! (Hello; Good morning; Goodbye [Formal])
Buona sera! (Hello; Good evening; Goodbye [Formal])
Buona notte! (Good night! [Formal/Informal])
Use Buona notte! only when its bedtime and when you're taking leave of people at night and you think that everyone is going to bed.
Arrivederci! (Goodbye! [Informal])
Arrivederla! (Goodbye! [Formal])
A dopo! (See you later! [Formal/Informal])
A presto! (See you soon! [Formal/Informal])
A domani! (See you tomorrow! [Formal/Informal])
A fra poco. (See you in a bit.)
Cheek kissing is another common type of greeting in Italy, as it is in most European countries. However, in Italy cheek kissing is reserved for greeting people you know well and is less common among men. When you meet someone for the first time, handshakes are much more common.
Come stai? (How are you? [Informal])
Come sta? (How are you? [Formal])
Sto bene! (I'm well!)
Molto bene, grazie. (Very well, thanks.)
Abbastanza bene, grazie. (Pretty well, thanks.)
Non c'è male. (Pretty well, thanks.)
Sto bene grazie, e tu? (I'm well, thanks, and you? [Informal])
Sto bene, grazie, e Lei? (I'm well, thanks, and you? [Formal])
Non sto bene.; Sto male. (I'm not well.)
Malissimo! (Not well at all!)
Va bene. (Things are going well.)
Va tutto bene. (Everything's going well.)
Va benissimo! (Things are going great!)
Va male. (Things aren't going well.)
Così così. (So so.)
Non mi posso lamentare. (I can't complain.)
Benissimo! (Great!)
(The Lei form is the formal you in English)
How to adress people:
Italians like titles and tend to use them whenever possible. When addressing someone without using his or her last name, use the entire title as it's listed here. But when you add the person's last name to the title, you drop the final -e in the title (only if the title is in male form). Use the Lei form when using any of the following titles:
Miss (Signorina)
Mrs.; Madam (Signora)
Mister; Sir (Signore)
professore [M]; professoressa [F] (professor)
ingegnere (engineer)
dottore [M]; dottoressa [F] (doctor)
In Italian, dottore is used if the person has a university degree even though it's not a medical degree.
Example with the surname Righetti : Dottor Righetti/ Dottoressa Righetti Professor Righetti/ Professoressa Righetti
Signor Righetti/ Signora Righetti (it's general, also used to adress married people/ old people/ adults)
!! Signorino/ Signorina (used as a way to adress teenagers or children) ex: hey tu, signorina! Ti ho vista! (hey young lady! I saw you!) (used as a title for young aristocratic people - teenagers and children-) ex: signorina, gradisce del tè? Young lady/Miss, would you like a cup of tea? (used to adress - young - unmarried women too)
YOU ARE READING
ITALIAN for your stories - tips and samples.
Non-FictionYour story involves a dangerous and attractive Italian mafia boss? You want to make him look credible? This is what you need. This book offers tips and advice about the use of Italian in stories. I am Italian and I am here to help you.
