In this first lesson, you’ll learn basic greetings and courtesy expressions in Italian.
Ciao! Hello! The Basics
Let’s start with basic greetings. Click on the audio to hear this section. Every time you see the audio player, you’ll be able to hear a native speaker pronounce the words and examples in a section. There are pauses for you to repeat, and you should listen and repeat several times to tune your ears and practice pronunciation.
- Ciao. Hello. Hi.
- Buongiorno. Good morning.
- Buon pomeriggio. Have a good afternoon. (formal)
- Buonasera. Good evening.
- Buona notte. Good night.
- Arrivederci. Good-bye.
Ciao is a very common casual greeting. It can mean hi or bye. Buongiorno literally means good day, but it’s used to mean good morning or good afternoon. Buon pomeriggio is something you might hear in a formal setting or on TV, as a sign off meaning “have a good afternoon.” Buona sera is good evening, and buona note is good night. Arrivederci is good-bye, but remember that ciao is also a less formal bye.
GRAMMAR NOTE
Did you notice that it’s buongiorno and buon pomeriggio (with buon), but buonasera and buona notte (with buona)? Nouns in Italian are all either masculine or feminine. Adjectives in Italian like buon(a) (good) change form – usually by adding a different vowel at the end – to agree with the gender of the noun that they describe.
A presto! See You Soon!
Here are a few more friendly expressions that you might want to be able to use.
- A presto. See you soon.
- Ci vediamo dopo. See you later.
- Ci vediamo domani. See you tomorrow.
- Piacere. Nice to meet you.
- Dormi bene! Sleep well!
Come stai? How Are You?
Let’s see a few expressions that you can use when you meet someone, as well as a few more general courtesy and basic expressions.
GRAMMAR NOTE
Italian has a polite or formal you (Lei), and familiar you (tu). Use Lei when you’re speaking to strangers, especially older ones, or anyone in a position of authority or respect. Use tu with kids, your family, close friends, and people your own age or younger. These two pronouns take different verb forms, as you can see in the first line below, come stai/sta (how are you?).
- Come stai? Come sta?
How are you? (informal, formal) - Sto bene.
I’m fine. - Grazie.
Thank you. - Prego.
You’re welcome. - Per favore.
Please. - Mi scusi/scusa.
Excuse me. - Scusa!/Mi dispiace!
Sorry! - Come ti chiami? Come si chiama?
What is your name? (informal, formal) - Mi chiamo…
My name is… - Di dove sei? Di dov’è Lei?
Where are you from? (informal, formal) - Sono di…
I’m from…
GRAMMAR NOTE
Italian verbs are conjugated, meaning that they change form to match the subject. English does this a little: you learn but he/she learns. The idea is the same in Italian, but there are more forms and endings. You’ve already seen a few verbs in different forms for io (I), tu (you, familiar), and Lei (you, polite).
| io… | tu… | Lei… | |
| stare (to be, to stay) | sto | stai | sta |
| essere (to be) | sono | sei | è |
| chiamarsi (to be called) | mi chiamo | ti chiami | si chiama |
There’s more to the story, but for now just remember that io verb forms typically end in –o, tu verb forms typically end in –i, and many Lei verb forms end in -a.
Congratulations!
You’ve completed the lesson. Go back and review if you’d like, or take the practice quizzes to test yourself. If you’d like to set up a live practice lesson with an instructor, email us at info@thelanguagegarage.com, or enroll in live online lessons here. Some quick links you may want to use:
- Italian Course Page
- Italian Resources: Free vocabulary and grammar resources.
- Live Italian Instruction: Take your Italian further with live online instruction.
- Language Garage Italian on Twitter: Follow us for Italian vocabulary, grammar, and more.
