Saying Hello in Italian
There are a few ways to greet others in Italian. If you would like to use a plain “hello” or “hi” then you would say “salve” (sal-vay) or “ciao” (chow), respectively. If you are looking for something that is more formal than those basic greetings, then you should consider using “piacere di conoscerla” (pee-a-chayray dee ko-no-shayrla) which means “pleased to meet you”. There are a lot of other ways to greet others in Italian. Most are more formal while others are very casual. Learning which ones to use in particular situations is not so hard. If you plan on meeting with Italians or even living in their country, then remembering these phrases can be of great assistance. I firmly recommend that you spend at least some time memorizing some of them. It will help native citizens be more welcoming.
Here are a few extra ways to say hello in Italian. If it is late in the day then you might say “buona sera” (bwona sayra) which means “good evening”. If the time of day is appropriate for this phrase then it would be superior to simply saying “salve”. If you would prefer to show a bit more concern in the other person then you could use “come sta” (komay sta) which means “how are you?”. Or you could change it a bit and say “come va” (komay vah) which means “how are you doing?”. If you know the other person then this would be fine to use. It may not be something you would use for a complete stranger unless you honestly cared about how they were for some reason, for example if they were feeling sick or injured.
You can never know too many greetings. After all, you may get bored of using the same one over and over. So here are some more to get you set. If it is morning time then you could say “buon giorno” (bwon gee orno) which is good morning. If it is just after lunch you can use “buon pomeriggio” (bwon po mer ee gio) which refers to “good afternoon”. If you can make yourself remember which of these phrases to use at the proper times, you will impress Italian speakers. It will display that you were interested enough in their language that you took care to make an effort. This helps enormously when trying to introduce yourself to a different culture or region. I can vouch that from personal experience every little bit helps when you are in a new region.
If you plan on visiting Italy then you may need to learn more than basic greetings. It is much more rewarding to visit a country while knowing how to participate in common conversations. You do not want to feel left out as your visit passes you by. Also, you may discover that in certain situations where needing to know how to ask particular questions will come in handy. However, if you just get down the basic greetings and phrases that will allow you to at least meet people. Your visit or extended stay will be more valuable this way. It is never a good idea to waste a visit or be miserable while living in a foreign land, so make the most of it.
Learn more about saying Italian Phrases.
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