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Do you want to learn how to say \u201chello\u201d in Italian? In this lesson we\u2019ll see all the different greetings, so you will learn more than just a simple \u201cciao<\/strong>\u201d!<\/p>\n Italian people put a great emphasis on the so called \u201cbuone maniere<\/strong>\u201d, the good manners. It is very important in Italy to address people with the right salutation according to the time of the day and the type of relationship you have with them.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll see all the different Italian greetings, so you\u2019ll be able to greet people appropriately during your next trip to Italy!<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re at a beginner level you will surely know that the most common way to say \u201chello\u201d in Italian is \u201cciao\u201d. Ciao<\/strong> is a friendly greeting which you can use every day. The equivalent of ciao <\/strong>in English is \u201chello\u201d.<\/p>\n Ciao!<\/strong> (pronunciation<\/a>) Ciao<\/strong> is used in many situations, meaning both \u201chello\u201d and \u201cgoodbye\u201d, but mainly in informal settings, i.e., among family members, relatives, and friends.\u00a0It sounds inappropriate in formal contexts, for instance when greeting elder people, your boss at work or someone you don\u2019t know very well.<\/p>\n If a simple ciao<\/strong> doesn\u2019t seem enough, you can use different greetings according to the time of the day. Saying \u201cgood morning\u201d, \u201cgood afternoon\u201d or \u201cgood evening\u201d is a safer bet when greeting someone you\u2019re not very close to, or when entering a shop or restaurant.<\/p>\n Buongiorno <\/strong>(pronunciation<\/a>) Buon pomeriggio <\/strong>(pronunciation<\/a>) Buonasera <\/strong>(pronunciation<\/a>) Buonanotte <\/strong>(pronunciation<\/a>) Buongiorno<\/strong> (good morning) is a very good way to greet someone, because it\u2019s appropriate in both friendly situations and formal contexts. Sometimes you can also hear its shortened form \u201cbuond\u00ec\u201d. Buond\u00ec<\/strong> has the same meaning, with \u201cbuon\u201d meaning good and \u201cd\u00ec\u201d meaning day.<\/p>\n Buon pomeriggio<\/strong> is a formal greeting for the afternoon time. It is not as commonly used as buongiorno<\/strong> and buonasera<\/strong>, many people in fact don\u2019t say it at all and replace it with one of those two greetings.<\/p>\n Buonasera<\/strong> is another greeting which can be used either in formal and informal situations. It is used when meeting someone in the evening, however, the ideal time of the day to use buonasera<\/strong> varies greatly from region to region. Usually, people start saying buonasera<\/strong> after 2\/3 pm.<\/p>\n The last one is buonanotte<\/strong> (good night): a formal and informal greeting, used to say goodbye before going to sleep.<\/p>\n In different areas of Italy we go from good morning to good evening at different times of the day. In southern Italy people can start saying buonasera<\/strong> around 4-5 pm, while in northern Italy you can even hear it around 2pm!<\/p>\n Generally, in Italy you can start saying buonasera<\/strong> after lunchtime, when in English it would be really unusual to say good evening. As we\u2019ve seen before, buon pomeriggio <\/strong>(good afternoon) is almost never used, so people tend to switch directly from buongiorno<\/strong> to buonasera<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve seen many different ways to say \u201chello\u201d in Italian, but how to say \u201cgoodbye\u201d? In informal contexts, you can just use a friendly \u201cciao\u201d. Depending on the situations, you can use other different greetings to say goodbye to people. Let\u2019s look at each one by one:<\/p>\n If you’d like to learn more about parting words in Italian, be sure to check out our post Goodbye in Italian: All the Parting Words You Need to Know<\/a>!<\/p>\n When greeting elder people or your superiors you cannot use ciao \u2013 <\/strong>you need to sound more formal. Before discussing the different greetings, I would like to give you a little introduction about how to address somebody in Italian.<\/p>\n Similarly to Spanish and French, Italian has two ways to address people: informally and formally. The informal way uses the personal pronoun tu<\/strong>, while the formal way uses lei<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We use lei<\/strong> to politely address somebody who is older than us and who we don\u2019t know very well, otherwise the older person could be offended. Lei <\/strong>is third person singular, so when addressing someone formally, you need to conjugate the verb in the third person. Let\u2019s see the difference:<\/p>\n Ciao Marco, (tu) come stai<\/strong>?How to say Hello<\/em> in Italian<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nHi, hello<\/em><\/p>\nSaying Good morning<\/em>, Good afternoon<\/em>, and Good evening<\/em> in <\/strong>Italian<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nGood morning<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGood afternoon<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGood evening<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGood night<\/em><\/p>\nWhen to use Buongiorno<\/em>, Buon pomeriggio<\/em> and Buonasera<\/em>?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to say Goodbye<\/em> in Italian<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Greeting elders and superiors<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nHello Marco, how are you?<\/em><\/p>\n
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