Italians are known to love chiacchierare (“to chat”) so much that it is no surprise there are plenty of different Italian greetings. There are a lot of different ways to say “hello” in Italian. The greeting one uses will depend on the context and the time of day.
Every Italian region has a sub-compilation of greetings in its own local dialect, however, these are some of the most popular in standard Italian that one will come across and that one will be able to use anywhere in Monte Bianco in The Alps all the way to Monte Etna in Sicily.
Ciao-Hello
As one of the most popular Italian word, ciao has been adopted as a friendly salutation all across the globe. It is an informal mode of greeting to say “hello” or “goodbye” and it originates through the Venetian sciavo, which hails from the Latin word schiavo — actually “your humble servant”.
The modern Italian language has lost many of its servile connotations. So one can say ciao when meeting someone or while leaving, and when you meet a friend: Ciao, bello!
Buongiorno-Good Morning
Buongiorno is similar to” good morning” in English, but it is also commonly used throughout the day while saying” good day” as a formal option to ciao.
You can use it while introducing yourself or just as a polite greeting while entering public places.
Buona giornata-Have a Good Day
You can make a minor change in meaning in buongiorno while you replace giorno with giornata, and it becomes buona giornata. This is done to wish someone a” good day” formally and informally when you are saying goodbye.
Buon dì-Good Day
Buon dì is one variation of buongiorno, even though it is not common, it is used in the same manner. If you are looking to impress someone using a fancier greeting, this one will do the job. Same as buongiorno it could be used formally as well as informally.
Buon pomeriggio-Good Afternoon
When it is afternoon, you can change your salutation to buon pomeriggio if you are feeling adventurous. Or one can simply continue using buongiorno, which one believes is generally preferred because it has less syllables and thus need less effort!
Ehilà, Ehi, or Ueilà-Hey
Italians generally use these 3 words to greet friends and family whilst expressing a positive surprise. For instance, Ehilà, chi si rivede! – “Hey, see who’s here.”
But it as a warning as well: Ehi, chi è entrato in casa mia? – “Hey, who entered my house?”
Salve-Hi
If you are a bit tired of saying ciao or buongiorno all through the day, here is a friendly and polite version which also has the advantage of being both formal and informal.
Salve hails from the Latin verb salvere, to be fine, in good health (essere in buona salute). Well, the verb salutare originates from the Italian word salute (“health”), therefore, the English word salutation.
How is it Going?-Come va?
When you bump into a friend, you can say come va? but be ready. In Italian, it mostly leads to a detailed answer and probably several long minutes of storytelling by having an espresso coffee at the bar.
If you do not have proper time, then say, ciao!
Buona sera-Good Evening
The time the evening arrives around you say buona sera (good evening). One can use this greeting as early as 05:00 PM and as late as 10:00 PM in formal and informal situations, but just when you are arriving, not whilst leaving.
Buona serata-Have a Good Evening
While departing during the evening, one would say buona serata (have yourself a good evening). It works like buona giornata, thus, it is not a conversation starter.
Buonanotte-Good Night
If you are on your way home or to bed, you will say buonanotte (goodnight). Contrary to buonasera, it is not a conversation opener but is said when bidding someone a good night, as in this instance:È tardi vado a casa, buonanotte. It is late, I am going home, goodnight.
Ti saluto/Vi salute-Bye
This casual mode of departure salutation means I salute you or simply “bye”. If you are saying it to one person you will use the singular form ti saluto. If to more than one, then you will use the plural form vi saluto.
A presto-See you Soon
This Italian greeting means “see you soon” and it is fairly common while departing from someone. You will also see it as an informal mode of greeting at the end of emails. However, just as in English, it also means that you are actually about to meet someone soon.
Alla prossima-Until Next Time
This one work fine whether you have some plans to meet again, whether soon or not.
Ci vediamo-See you Around
It is another casual form of arrivederci which you will find further. It is translated into English as “we will see each other around” or simply” see you around”. One will hear it said mostly among friends when they are parting ways.
Stammi bene / Statemi bene-Take Care
The Italian form of” take care” contains a singular and a plural version, similarly like bye. So one will say stammi bene to a person or statemi bene to more than one.
Arrivederci-Goodbye
One of the most difficult word to pronounce, but good practice for the rolling “r”. Arrivederci is translated to good-bye, but it truly means till we see each other again. Actually, if you break it down into its components you will have a – preposition, rivedere – verb, ci – reflexive pronoun.
This could be used as a polite salutation.
Bona raga-Bye
This one is a Florentine farewell.
Bona raga is Fiorentino, Florentine slang used for “bye, guys” (Ciao, ragazzi). It’s said while departing from your friends.
Addio-Farewell
This one makes quite a dramatic impact in the movies, like the Italian film of the 50s Addio, Napoli! (“Farewell, Naples!”).
It is the contracted type of a Dio piacendo, a friendly wish that the goodwill of God be made for the individual to whom it has been addressed.
These days, it is used as a last salutation if you do not plan to see someone ever again. In the majority of cases, a simple arrivederci would do!