Chapter 10 – Useful Vocabulary: Greetings and Goodbyes

Italians are naturally social beings. They relish meeting new people and having a direct social contact with others. In general, the Italians are considered as relatively carefree, and they do not mind foreigners trying to speak and write in their language. Many find them to be polite in social situations, thus giving credence about their reputation as accepting people.

Learning how to greet in Italian starts by familiarizing yourself with the various types of greetings and goodbyes in this language. The following list contains the common phrases or sentences used by Italians to greet others or say goodbye.

• “ciao” (chahw) – “hello” or “hi” or “goodbye”
  • Category: Informal
  • Example: “Ciao, Maria.”
  • Pronunciation: chawh mah-ree -yah
  • Translation: “Hello, Maria.” or “Hi, Maria.” or “Goodbye, Maria.”
• “salve” (sahl -veh) – “hello” or “hi” or “goodbye”
  • Category: Neutral (more formal than “ciao” but less formal than “buogiorno”
  • Example: “Salve ragazzi!”
  • Pronunciation: sahl -veh rah-gahts -tsee
  • Translation: “Hello, guys!” or “Hi, folks!” or “Goodbye, folks!”
• “buongiorno” (bwohn -johr -no) – “good morning” or “good day”
  • Category: Formal
  • Example: “Buongiorno, signor Alfonsi.”
  • Pronunciation: bwohn-johr-no see-nyohr ahl-fohn-see
  • Translation: “Good morning, Mr. Alfonsi.” or “Good day, Mr. Alfonsi.”
• “buonasera” (bwoh -nah-seh-ra) – “good afternoon” or “good evening”
  • Category: Formal
  • Example: “Buonasera, signora Rossi.”
  • Pronunciation: bwoh-nah-seh-rah see-nyoh-rah rohs-see
  • Translation: “Good afternoon, Mrs. Rossi.” or “Good evening, Mrs. Rossi.”
• “buonanotte” (bwoh -nah-noht-teh) – “good night”
  • Category: Formal
  • Example: “Buonanotte, ragazzi!”
  • Pronunciation: bwoh-nah-noht-teh rah-gahts-tsee
  • Translation: “Good night, folks!”
• “Buona giornata!” (bwoh -nah johr-nah -tah)
  • Category: Informal
  • Translation: “Have a good day!”
• “Buona serata!” (bwoh -nah seh-rah -tah)
  • Category: Formal
  • Translation: “Have a good evening!”
• “arrivederci” (ahr-ree-vah-dehr -chee)
  • Category: Informal
  • Example: “Arrivederci, signora Costa!”
  • Pronunciation: ahr-ree-veh-dehr-chee see-nyoh-rah koh-stah
  • Translation: “Goodbye, Mrs. Costa!”

In an earlier chapter, you have learned that the pronoun “tu” (tooh)—or “you” in the English language—can take on a formal or informal form. Depending on the context, you should adapt carefully so as to remain respectful towards the people around you.

The same principle applies to Italian greetings and goodbyes. To help you determine when you should be using a formal or friendly tone, here are some tips that you should consider.

• Use a formal greeting or goodbye when speaking to adults that you do not know well. This includes:
  • People in the academic setting (teachers, professors)
  • People who runs a shop
  • People in the service industry (waiters, receptionist)
  • People who have a higher rank than you (work superiors, elders)
  • Government officials
• If you have gotten to know someone better, then you may consider switching to an informal or friendly tone. In general, you can use this form when in the presence of family, friends, or younger people.

How to Reply to a Greeting

In the English language, the greeting “How are you?” does not typically warrant for a reply. This is not the case for Italian greetings. When greeted, you are expected to respond with an appropriate answer. To avoid being seen as rude, here are the common ways to properly reply when you are greeted.

• Formal setting
  • Greeting: “Buongiorno signor. Come sta?”
    • Pronunciation: bwohn -johr-noh see-nyohr koh -meh stah
    • Translation: “Good morning/day, sir. How are you?”
  • Reply: “Benissimo, grazie. E lei?”
    • Pronunciation: beh-nees -see-moh grah -tsee eh ley
    • Translation: “Very well, thank you. And you?”
• Informal setting
  • Greeting: “Ciao, Alec. Come stai?”
    • Pronunciation: chawh ah -lehk koh -meh stahy
    • Translation: “Hi/Hello, Alec. How are you?”
  • Reply: “Bene, grazie. E tu?”
    • Pronunciation: beh-neh grah -tsee eh tooh
    • Translation: “Fine, thanks. And you?”
  • Greeting: “Come va?”
    • Pronunciation: koh -meh vah
    • Translation: “How are things going for you?”
  • Reply: “Non c’é male.”
    • Pronunciation: nohn cheh mah -leh
    • Translation: “Not bad.”

There are times when you want to say more than a simple goodbye. You may also want to mention when you are going to meet next. Here are some common expressions that can convey that message:

• “A domani!” (ah do-mah -nee) – “See you tomorrow!”
• “A dopo!” (ah do -po) – meaning “See you later!”
• “A presto!” (ah phehs -toh) – “See you soon!”
• “Ci vediamo!” (chee veh-dyah -moh) – “See you!”
• “Ci vediamo domani!” (chee veh-dyah -moh doh-mah -nee) – “See you tomorrow!”
• “Ci vediamo dopo!” (chee veh-dyah -moh doh -poh) – “See you later!”
• “Ci vediamo presto!” (chee veh-dyah -moh prehs-toh) – “See you soon!”

Making Introductions

Knowing how to introduce yourself to others is important in maintaining a polite and respectful image towards others. You must be able to answer simple questions about basic information about yourself.

When introducing yourself in the Italian language, the most important verb that you must learn how to use is “chiamarsi” (kyah-mahr -see)—which means “to call oneself” in English. This reflexive verb is commonly used by Italians to introduce themselves, and to ask for the name of those around them.

Here are the different conjugations of this verb that you can use when introducing yourself to others:

• “mi chiamo…”
  • Pronunciation: mee kyah -moh
  • Translation: “my name is…”
• “ti chiami…”
  • Pronunciation: tee kyah -mee
  • Translation: “your name is…”
• “si chiama…”
  • Pronunciation: see kyah -mah
  • Translation: “your name is…” or “his name is…” or “her name is…” or “its name is…”
• “ci chiamiamo…”
  • Pronunciation: chee kyah-myah -moh
  • Translation: “Our names are…”
• “vi chiamate…”
  • Pronunciation: vee kyah-mah-teh
  • Translation: “Your names are…”
• “si chiamano…”
  • Pronunciation: see kyah-mah-noh
  • Translation: “Their names are…”

To master the art of personal introductions in the Italian language, here are some simple sentences that you can practice on. Do not forget to stress the words properly, as indicated by the italicized syllables inside the parenthesis.

• “Buongiorno, mi chiamo Anna.”
  • Pronunciation: bwohn -johr-noh mee kyah -moh ahn -nah
  • Translation: “Good morning/day, my name is Anna.”
• “Ciao, mi chiamo Anna.”
  • Pronunciation: chahw mee kyah -moh ahn -nah
  • Translation: “Hello/Hi, my name is Anna.”
• “Lei, come si chiama?”
  • Pronunciation: ley koh-meh see kya-mah
  • Translation: “What is your name?”
• “E tu come ti chiami?”
  • Pronunciation: eh too koh -me tee kyah -mee
  • Translation: “And you, what’s your name?”
• “Piacere!”
  • Pronunciation: pyah-cheh -reh
  • Translation: “Nice to meet you!”

When greeting another person, Italians prefer doing it with a brief, but firm handshake. Practicing words with the appropriate gestures is highly recommended since non-verbal signals plays an important part on effectively communication with other people.

There are certain occasions when you also have to introduce a person to your family, friends, or people that you already know. Memorizing the following phrases would make such instances easier to carry out. Using this vocabulary, you would also be able to indicate your relationship with the person you are introducing. Again, saying these words with the appropriate body gestures would elevate the way you make your introductions.

• “mio padre” (mee -oh pah -dreh) – “my father”
• “mia madre” (mee -ah mah -dreh) – “my mother”
• “mio fratello” (mee -oh frah-tehl -loh) – “my brother”
• “mia sorella” (mee -ah soh-rehl -lah) – “my sister”
• “mia figlio” (mee -oh fee -lyoh) – “my son”
• “mio figlia” (mee -ah fee -lyah) – “my daughter”
• “mio marito” (mee -oh mah-ree -toh) – “my husband”
• “mia moglie” (mee -ah moh-lyee -eh) - “my wife”
• “il mio amico” (eel mee -oh ah-mee -koh) – meaning “my friend” (masculine) or “my boyfriend”
• “la mia amica” (la mee -ah ah-mee -ka) – meaning “my friend” (feminine) or “my girlfriend”
• “il mio ragazzo” (eel mee -oh rah-gaht -tsoh) – “my boyfriend”
• “la mia ragazza” (lah mee -ah rah-gaht -tsah) – “my girlfriend”
• “il mio fidanzato” (eel mee -o fee-dahn-za -toh) – “my fiancé”
• “la mia fidanzata” (la mee -ah fee-dahn-za -tah) – “my fiancée”
• “il mio collega” (eel mee -oh kohl-le -gah) – “my colleague” (masculine)
• “la mia collega” (lah mee -ah kohl-le -gah) – “my colleague” (feminine)

Now that you have introduced yourself or another person, the next step is to get acquainted with the people you are talking to. Assuming that you want to keep talking with them, it is important to learn how you can converse naturally while still maintaining a polite and respectful distance. Below are some common scenarios that might follow after you have made your introductions, and the corresponding topics that you might talk about in order to keep the conversation going.

• Asking if someone speaks Italian too

As a form of courtesy, you should confirm first if the person you are speaking to can also speak in Italian. A simple way of asking this is as follows:

• Formal Setting
  • “Parla italiano?”

❖         Pronunciation: pahr -lah ee-tah-lee-ah -noh

❖         Translation: “Do you speak Italian?”

• Informal Setting
  • “Parli italiano?”

❖         Pronunciation: pahr -lee ee-tah-lee-ah -noh

❖         Translation: “Can you speak Italian?”

A common response to such questions is this:

• Formal/Informal Setting
  • “Parlo un po’.”

❖         Pronunciation: pahr -loh oohn poh

❖         Translation: “I can speak a little bit.”

• Inquiring about where someone came from

One of the best parts of traveling to popular places like Italy is the opportunity to meet people from different countries and nationalities. There are two common ways of asking a person about this:

• Formal Setting
  • “Da dove viene?”

❖         Pronunciation: dah doh-veh vee-eh-neh

❖         Translation: “Where are you from?” or “Where do you come from?”

• “Di dov’è?”

❖         Pronunciation: dee do -veh

❖         Translation: “Where are you from?”

• Informal Setting
  • “Da dove vieni?”

❖         Pronunciation: dah doh-veh vee-eh-nee

❖         Translation: “Where are you from?”

• “Di dove sei?”

❖         Pronunciation: dee do-veh sey

❖         Translation: “Where are you from?”

In case someone asks you any of these questions above, you can respond using the following phrases:

• Formal/Informal Setting
  • “Vengo da…”

❖         Pronunciation: vehn -goh dah

❖         Translation: “I am from…” or “I come from…”

• “Sono di…”

❖         Pronunciation: soh -noh dee

❖         Translation: “I am from…”

To properly end your response, insert the name of the continent, country, city, or place that you are from. For example:

• “Vengo da America.”
  • Pronunciation: vehn -goh dah ah-meh -ree-kah
  • Translation: “I am from America.” or “I come from America.”
• “Sono di America.”
  • Pronunciation: soh -noh dee ah-meh -ree-kah
  • Translation: “I am from America.”

In some scenarios, the other person might inquire about your provenance. You might be asked:

• Formal Setting
  • “È Americano/Americana?”

❖         Pronunciation: eh ah-me-ree-kah -noh/ah-me-ree-kah -nah

❖         Translation: “Are you an American?”

• Informal Setting
  • “Sei Americano/American?”

❖         Pronunciation: sey ah-me-ree-kah -noh/ah-me-ree-kah -nah

❖         Translation: “Are you American?”

To which you should respond by saying:

• Formal/Informal Setting
  • “Si, di California.”

❖         Pronunciation: see dee kah-lee-fohr -nyah

❖         Translation: “Yes, from California.”

• “No, vengo da Canada.”

❖         Pronunciation: noh vehn -goh dah kah -nah-dah

❖         Translation: “No, I am from Canada.”

In the English language, it is common for the pronoun to be placed before the verb. This is not the case for the Italian language. Since the form of verbs differ for each pronoun, there is no need for the pronoun to be included in the sentence. The speaker and listener understand who the verb is pertaining to just by merely observing the ending of the verb and context of the sentence.

Pronouns still do appear in Italian sentences, but only when the subject is vague, or when the speaker or writer wants to put emphasis on the subject. For example:

• “Loro sono cinesi, ma io sono giapponese.”
  • Pronunciation: loh-roh soh-noh chee-neh-see mah ee-oh soh-noh jahp-poh-neh-zeh
  • Meaning: “They are Chinese, but I am Japanese.”

When referring to nationalities, keep in mind the following Italian grammar rules:

• Singular forms of nationalities should end in “-0” for males or “-a” for females.
• When referring to a group of people from the same country and gender, the adjectives should end in “-i” for males or “-e” for females.
• If you prefer a gender-neutral term, then the adjective should end in “-e” when in the singular form, or “-i” when in the plural form. This means that adjectives ending in these vowels have both masculine and feminine connotations.

Some adjectives about nationalities do not require separate terms to be used for each gender. Others, however, are particular on the endings of the adjectives. Use the correct terms in order to avoid being seen as rude or ignorant.

To better illustrate these rules, here is a table of countries or nationalities, and their corresponding pronunciations and English translation

Country/Nationality	Pronunciation	Translation
America/Stati Uniti d’ America americano americana americani americane	ah-meh-ree-ka/stah-tee ooh-nee-tee dah-meh-ree-kah ah-meh-ree-ka-noh ah-meh-ree-ka-nah ah-meh-ree-ka-nee ah-meh-ree-ka-neh	America/United States of America American (m) American (f) Americans (m) Americans (f)
Brasile brasiliano brasiliana brasiliani brasiliane	brah-see-leh brah-see-lyah-noh brah-see-lyah-nah brah-see-lyah-nee brah-see-lyah-neh	Brazil Brazilian (m) Brazilian (f) Brazilians (m) Brazilians (f)
Cina cinese cinesi	chee-nah chee-neh-seh chee-neh-see	China Chinese (s, m/f) Chinese (p, m/f)
Francia francese francesi	frahn-chah frahn-cheh-zeh frahn-cheh-zee	France French (s, m/f) French (p, m/f)
Germania tedesco tedesca tedeschi tedesche	jehr-mah-nee-ah teh-dehs-koh teh-dehs-kah teh-dehs-kee teh-dehs-keh	Germany German (m) German (f) Germans (m) Germans (f)
Giaponne giapponese giapponesi	jahp-pohn-neh jahp-poh-neh-she jahp-poh-neh-see	Japan Japanese (s, m/f) Japanese (p, m/f)
Grecia greco greca greci greche	greh-chah greh-koh greh-kah greh-chee greh-keh	Greece Greek (m) Greek (f) Greeks (m) Greeks (f)
Inghilterra inglesi inglese	een-geel-tehr-rah een-gleh-zee een-gleh-zeh	England English (s, m/f) English (p, m/f)
Italia italiano italiana italiani italiane	ee-tah-lee-ah ee-tah-lee-ah-noh ee-tah-lee-ah-nah ee-tah-lee-ah-nee ee-tah-lee-ah-neh	Italy Italian (m) Italian (f) Italians (m) Italians (f)
Spagna spagnolo spagnola spagnoli spagnole	spah-nyah spah-nyoh-loh spah-nyoh-lah spah-nyoh-lee spah-nyoh-leh	Spain Spanish (s, m) Spanish (s, f) Spanish (p, m) Spanish (p, f)

You can proceed with the more advanced ways of talking about your nationality once you have practiced and memorized the basic phrases and adjectives used in such conversations. Once you are ready, practice saying following sentences that showcase the different ways you can construct your responses:

• “Vengo dalla Spagna.”
  • Pronunciation: vehn -goh dahl-lah spah -nyah
  • Translation: “I come from Spain.”
• “Veniamo dall’Inghilterra.”
  • Pronunciation: veh-nee-ah- moh dahl -leen-geehl-tehr -rah
  • Translation: “We come from England.” or “We are from England.”
• “Veniamo dalla Grecia.”
  • Pronunciation: veh-nee-ah -moh dahl-lah greh -chah
  • Translation: “We come from Greece.”
• “Veniamo dagli Stati Uniti.”
  • Pronunciation: ven-nee-ah -moh dah -lyee stah -tee ooh-nee -tee
  • Translation: “We come from the United States.”
• “Vengono dalla Germania.”
  • Pronunciation: vehn -goh-noh dahl -lah jehr-mah -nee-ah
  • Translation: “They come from Germany.”

Exercise

Fill in the blanks to complete the sentence using the following Italian words and phrases:

• conoscerla
• come sta
• e lei
• il piacere
• le presento

Dialogue:

Nancy: “Buonasera, signora Anderson. ______________?”

(Good afternoon, Ms. Anderson. How are you?)

Ms. Anderson: “Benissimo, grazie. ________________?”

​ (Very well, thank you. And you?)

Nancy: “Bene, grazie. ________________ il mio amico, Ben.”

​ (I’m fine, thanks. I would like to introduce my friend, Ben.)

Ben: “Lieta di _____________, signora Anderson.”

​ (Pleased to meet you, Ms. Anderson.)

Ms. Anderson: “_________________ é mio.

​ (The pleasure is mine.)

Answer Key:

Nancy: “Buonasera, signora Anderson. Come sta ?”

Ms. Anderson: “Benissimo, grazie. E lei ?”

Nancy: “Bene, grazie. Le presento il mio amico, Ben.”

Ben: “Lieta di conoscerla , signora Anderson.”

Ms. Anderson: “Il piacere é mio.”