Say hello and goodbye in Italian
Learn standard Italian greetings and farewells for different times of day and levels of formality, including the correct spelling of buongiorno and when to use ciao, salve, buonasera, and arrivederci.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
If you want to greet someone in Italian, the most useful all-purpose morning word is buongiorno. It means good morning and also serves as a polite hello during the morning and early afternoon. A very common misspelling is bonjourno, which looks French-influenced; the correct Italian form is buongiorno, written as one word. In this lesson you will learn how to say hello and goodbye in casual and polite situations, how greetings change with the time of day, and how to choose between ciao, salve, buongiorno, buonasera, and arrivederci. The focus stays on these two core speech acts: greeting someone and taking leave.
By the end, you can…
- greet someone in Italian correctly at different times of day and levels of formality.
- say goodbye in Italian in both casual and polite contexts.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Buongiorno
Good morning / Hello (polite, morning to early afternoon)
bwohn-JOHR-noh
Use with strangers, shop staff, elders, or anyone you address with Lei. It is written as one word, not bonjourno. It can be used when arriving and sometimes when leaving in the morning.
Buonasera
Good evening / Hello (polite, from late afternoon onward)
bwoh-nah-SEH-rah
Use from roughly late afternoon until nighttime. It works both as a greeting when you arrive and as a polite goodbye when you leave.
Ciao
Hi / Bye (casual)
CHAH-oh
Use only with friends, family, peers, and people you already address with tu. It works for both hello and goodbye. Avoid it with strangers, elders, or in very formal service situations.
Salve
Hello (neutral, slightly formal)
SAHL-veh
A useful middle-ground greeting when you want to be polite but not as formal as buongiorno. It is common with strangers and in shops. It is not normally used as a goodbye.
Arrivederci
Goodbye (polite)
ahr-ree-veh-DEHR-chee
A standard polite goodbye with anyone. For a very formal or respectful tone, especially with an elder or a professional superior, arrivederLa is used, with a capital L in writing.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
Italian greetings often work as complete one-word sentences. You can say Buongiorno to a shopkeeper when you enter, and Buonasera when you enter in the evening. To greet a friend, Ciao is enough. To say goodbye politely, Arrivederci works with almost anyone. If you want to ask how someone is, add a simple question after the greeting: Buongiorno, come sta? (polite, to one person) or Ciao, come stai? (casual, to one person). Notice that the greeting itself does not change with the person's gender; it changes with time of day and formality. The spelling buongiorno is fixed: b-u-o-n-g-i-o-r-n-o. The form bonjourno is not Italian and is likely influenced by French bonjour.
When to use it
Use buongiorno in the morning and early afternoon with anyone you do not know well, with staff in shops, and with elders. Use buonasera from late afternoon onward in the same polite situations. Use ciao only with people you call tu, such as friends, classmates, and family. Salve is a handy neutral greeting when you want to avoid choosing between ciao and buongiorno, for example when entering a small shop. For goodbye, arrivederci is safe and polite; arrivederLa is more formal and respectful. In the evening, buonasera can also serve as a polite goodbye. If you are leaving a friend's place, ciao is normal. If you are leaving a doctor's office, arrivederci or arrivederLa is better.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Buongiorno, signora. Come sta?
Good morning, ma'am. How are you?bwohn-JOHR-noh, see-NYOH-rah. KOH-meh stahBuongiorno. Sto bene, grazie. E Lei?
Good morning. I am well, thank you. And you? (polite)bwohn-JOHR-noh. stoh BEH-neh, GRAH-tsee-eh. eh LAYMolto bene, grazie. Arrivederci.
Very well, thank you. Goodbye.MOHL-toh BEH-neh, GRAH-tsee-eh. ahr-ree-veh-DEHR-cheeArrivederci. Buona giornata!
Goodbye. Have a good day!ahr-ree-veh-DEHR-chee. BWOH-nah johr-NAH-tahA little context goes a long way
Italian greetings are sensitive to time and formality. Buongiorno is standard in the morning and early afternoon, while buonasera takes over later. Ciao is friendly and informal; using it with a stranger or an elder can sound too familiar. Salve is a practical neutral option. In writing, arrivederLa with a capital L shows respect. Regional habits vary: in some areas people greet shopkeepers with buongiorno even in the late afternoon, but buonasera is never wrong when the day is clearly ending.
One thing to watch for
Writing or saying bonjourno for the Italian morning greeting.
Try this instead: The correct Italian form is buongiorno, one word. Bonjourno is not Italian; it likely comes from French bonjour. Say buongiorno in the morning with polite company, and use ciao only with friends.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1You walk into a small shop at 10 a.m. and want to greet the shopkeeper politely. What do you say?
Show a sample answer
Buongiorno.
Buongiorno is the standard polite morning greeting. Salve is also acceptable as a neutral greeting, but buongiorno fits the morning context best.
2Your friend leaves a party and says ciao. What is a natural casual goodbye you can say back?
Show a sample answer
Ciao.
Ciao works for both hello and goodbye among friends. Arrivederci would also be correct but slightly more polite; with a friend, ciao is the most natural.
3You are leaving a formal meeting in the evening. Which goodbye is more appropriate: ciao or arrivederci?
Show a sample answer
Arrivederci.
Arrivederci is polite and safe in formal contexts. Ciao is too casual for a formal meeting. In the evening, buonasera can also serve as a polite goodbye.
Use buongiorno in the morning and buonasera later in the day for polite hellos. Use ciao only with friends. For goodbye, arrivederci is polite, and arrivederLa is more formal. Remember the spelling: buongiorno, not bonjourno.
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