How to say Hello in Italian

The most direct way to say "hello" in Italian is "ciao," but there are actually many other ways to greet people in Italian. Depending on the situation, some greetings might be more fitting than others. Below are some greetings you should know.

Say "ciao" in casual situations. This is one of the two most common ways to say "hello" or "hi" in Italian.

• Note that "ciao" can also mean "goodbye" depending on the context.
• Although it's a widely used greeting, "ciao" is often considered quite informal and is typically used in casual communication between friends and family members.
• The pronunciation of ciao is similar to the Vietnamese word "chào," with a slightly extended "o" sound at the end.

Switch to the greeting "salve" for neutral situations. This is the second most common way to say "hello" in Italy, though it's not often used.

• Although it's not as commonly used as "ciao," the greeting "salve" is more appropriate when greeting people you're not familiar with. The most formal greeting would be based on the time of day, but "salve" still works for most situations.
• From the perspective of a native English speaker, "ciao" is similar to "hi," while "salve" is closer to "hello."
• Salve is a word borrowed from Latin, often used by the Romans during the reign of Caesar.
• Just like ciao, salve can also be used to say "goodbye" depending on the context.
• The pronunciation of salve is sal-ve'.

Say "buongiorno" in the morning. This phrase translates to "good morning" or "have a good day."

• Buon comes from the Italian adjective “buono,” meaning "good."
• Giorno is an Italian noun meaning "day."
• Like other greetings in Italian, buongiorno can also mean "goodbye" depending on the context.
• Buongiorno and other time-based greetings are considered the most respectful ways to greet others. This means you can still use them to greet friends and family.
• The pronunciation of buongiorno is buon jor-no.

Say "buon pomeriggio" in the afternoon. This phrase is used to say "good afternoon" or to greet someone after lunchtime.

• Note that you may still hear people say buongiorno in the afternoon, but buon pomeriggio is more commonly used and more accurate. "Buon pomeriggio" is much more formal than "buongiorno."
• Buon means "good" and pomeriggio is a noun meaning "afternoon."
• The pronunciation of this greeting is buon po-mê-ri-jo.

Say "buonasera" in the evening. After around 4 PM, you can greet or bid someone farewell politely by saying buonasera.

• Buona means "good" and sera is a noun in Italian meaning "evening." Sera is feminine, so the masculine form of the adjective "buon" changes to the feminine form "buona."
• The pronunciation of buonasera is buon-na se-ra.

Answer the phone with "pronto?" This is another way to say "hello" in Italian, but it's used only on the phone.

• You can use pronto when receiving or making a phone call.
• Pronto is an adjective meaning "ready" in English. Answering the phone with this phrase suggests you're ready to hear what the caller has to say or asking if the caller is ready to talk.
• The pronunciation of pronto is pron-to.

Greet a group with "ciao a tutti." If you're greeting a group of friends, you can use this phrase instead of greeting each person individually.

• Remember that "ciao" is an informal or casual greeting, similar to saying "hi" in English.
• A tutti means "to everyone." The word "a" means "to" and "tutti" means "everyone" or "all."
• In a more poetic translation, this phrase means "hello everyone."
• The pronunciation of this phrase is chao a tu-ti.

Greet someone you just met with "piacere di conoscerti." In English, this phrase means "pleased to meet you."

• Piacere comes from the Italian verb meaning "to like" or "to enjoy." It can also be used as an exclamation to say "hello," but it's not commonly used in this way.
• Di is a preposition meaning "of," "to," or "for" and is used with other words.
• Conoscerti is the informal form of the verb "conoscere," meaning "to know" or "to meet." The formal version of the verb is "conoscerla."
• The pronunciation of piacere di conoscerti is pê-a-che-re dee kon-no-ser-ti.
• The pronunciation of piacere di conoscerla is pê-a-che-re dee kon-no-ser-la.

Say "incantato." This is a slang greeting expressing excitement when meeting someone, often used when greeting a man you're fond of (or a woman, "incantata").

• The equivalent phrase in English is "spellbound" or "enchanted."
• The pronunciation of this greeting is in-kan-ta-to.

Welcome someone with "benvenuto." If you're greeting someone as the host, use this phrase to tell them you're "welcoming" them.

• Ben is derived from the Italian word "buon," meaning "good."
• Venuto comes from the verb "venire," which means "to come" in Italian.
• Directly translated, benvenuto means "happy to have you here."
• The pronunciation of benvenuto is ben-ve-nu-to.