3. Greetings in Italian
The Italian people value cordiality and manners. It’s important to use the correct greetings when meeting someone new or speaking to someone that you are already friends.
The greetings in Italian can be broken down into three important domains:
- The moment of the day
- How formal the situation is
- How well you know the person
General greetings
| Italian | English | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Ciao | Hello / Hi | Informal; Between friends and family |
| Salve | Hello | Neutral; polite yet not so formal |
| Buongiorno | Good morning | Formal or polite. Used until the beginning of the afternoon |
| Buon pomeriggio | Good afternoon | Barely used. “Buongiorno” is much more used |
| Buonasera | Good night (when you arrive) | After 5PM (17:00) in formal contexts |
| Buonanotte | Good night (on departure) | When you go to sleep or want to say good night when you leave a place |
Attention!
Attention!
“Ciao” is used a lot between Italians but avoid using it with unknown people or in formal contexts. You should prefer “Save” or “Buongiorno”