Ch 1 · Lesson 2Italian · Chapter 1 · Lesson 2 · Grammar primer
Say something today: hello and goodbye
both ways with friends; , and with everyone else; and only when you part.
The short version
! ... , !
Why?Hide
works in both directions: you say it when you meet and again when you part. It is informal, so keep it for friends, family and people your own age. With a stranger or an official, use on the way in and on the way out.
You can hold a first Italian conversation before you have learnt a single verb ending. Greetings are fixed phrases: nobody builds good morning from parts, and you need not build the Italian either. Learn the set below whole.
Ciao: hello and goodbye
means both hello and goodbye. You say it when you meet and again when you part:
, Marco!- Hi, Marco!, !- Bye, see you later!
It is warm, quick and informal, so save it for friends, family and people your own age. With an official, a doctor or an older stranger, switch to the polite set. there is not rude exactly, but it is hiya to a bank manager.
Polite hellos: which time of day
The polite hello changes with the clock, though nobody checks your watch.
Buongiorno through the morning and over lunch, Buonasera from mid-afternoon, Buonanotte only when someone goes to bed.
, .- Good morning (madam)., .- Good evening (sir).
When takes over varies: after lunch for some speakers, from about four or five for others, and certainly by dusk.
is the useful middle gear. It works at any hour with almost anyone: , ? - Hello, how's it going?
is not a hello at all. You say it when someone goes to bed, or when you part late at night: , ! - Good night, see you tomorrow!
Goodbye: casual or polite
is the standard goodbye, literally until we see each other again. It is fine with everyone: , ! - Thanks, goodbye!
For a friendlier farewell, add a time:
!- See you later! (the same day)!- See you soon!
A very formal version, ArrivederLa, exists for someone you call , but you will rarely need it.
Going further: The whole set on one screen and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
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Lesson 2 of 40 in this chapter