Greetings in Italian [with video and audio]

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to greet people in Italian and practice through exercises and listening examples.

1. Basic greetings (Greetings for arrival)

These greetings are used when meeting someone.

Ciao – Hello / Hi / Bye
Use this informally for both greetings and goodbyes.

Salve – Hello / Hi / Bye
Slightly more formal, suitable for when you’re unsure about the level of formality.

2. Formal greetings

Buongiorno – Good morning / Good day
Use it until early afternoon.

Buon pomeriggio – Good afternoon
Used only until 4 PM, mostly for departure.

Buonasera – Good evening
Used after 4 PM for arrival.

Buonanotte – Good night
Use it when parting ways before sleep.

3. Asking “How are you?”

Come stai? – How are you? (informal)

Come va? – How are you? (neutral, often informal)

Come sta? – How are you? (formal)

4. Responses to “How are you?”

Bene, grazie. E tu? – I’m good, thank you. And you? (informal)

Bene, grazie. E lei? – I’m good, thank you. And you? (formal)

Non c’è male. – Not bad.

Così così. – So-so.

Il solito. – The usual.

5. Saying Goodbye (Departure greetings)

Ciao – Hi / Bye
Use this informally for both greetings and goodbyes.

Arrivederci – Goodbye (formal or plural)

A presto – See you soon

Alla prossima – See you next time

Buona giornata – Have a nice day
Used only in the morning for departure

Buona serata – Have a nice evening
Used after 4 PM for departure

Buona notte – Good night
Used for departure before sleep

A domani – See you tomorrow

A dopo – See you later

6. Introducing Yourself

When meeting someone for the first time:

Piacere di conoscerti – Nice to meet you (informal)

Piacere di conoscerla – Nice to meet you (formal or when addressing an older person)

Practice exercises

Listening exercise 🎧

Listen to the following sentences and write what you hear:

Ciao, come stai? – Hi, how are you? (informal)

Buongiorno, come sta? – Good morning, how are you? (formal)

Arrivederci, a presto! – Goodbye, see you soon (formal)

Translation exercise

1. Translate into Italian:
   • Hi, how are you?
   • Good evening, how are you?
   • Bye, see you tomorrow!
2. Respond in Italian:
   • Come stai?
   • Come sta?

By practicing listening and speaking, you’ll feel more confident with these basic Italian greetings.