Greeting in Italian

How do Italians greet each other? In everyday language, the most common friendly greeting formula is CIAO, which is used at the beginning and at the end of a meeting between people who give themselves to you.

Also, BUONGIORNO and BUONASERA are used as greeting formulas both at the time of the meeting and in that of the farewell but more formal than hello.

BUONGIORNO is used as a greeting in the morning. The time of the day when we go from BUONGIORNO to BUONASERA varies from region to region: in Tuscany, we greet each other with BUONASERA from early afternoon; in Sardinia, BUONASERA is given after having eaten lunch, regardless of the time. But usually after 14:00 BUONASERA is used.

BUONDì is equivalent to BUONGIORNO but is aimed at people with whom you have at least some confidence.

Definitely rare is the BUON POMERIGGIO, used almost exclusively – and now little – on television.

BUONA GIORNATA and BUONA SERATA are becoming more common as farewell formulas.

A neutral tone for SALVE, a time of good health, which is used today when we are uncertain about the register, formal or informal, to be used with the interlocutor and which can be used at all times of the day to greet at the beginning a meeting.

BUONANOTTE is used in the late evening or before going to bed.

ADDIO is a bit in decline: it is used in the standard only as an emphatic greeting, before final separation. Survives in Tuscany, especially in the mouth of elderly people, in the sense of goodbye.

ARRIVEDERCI is a final and informal greeting formula. The most formal variant of ARRIVEDERCI is ARRIVEDERLA.

A PRESTO is a greeting that expresses an opportunity or a desire to meet again, not always realizable or authentic; similar forms: CI VEDIAMO, CI SENTIAMO, A DOPO, A RISENTIRCI.