Come va? How are things?
Whether youre going to be working in Italy or youre going to spend some time with your Italian-speaking friends, youll want to be able to chat with people and get to know them better. The phrases in this unit will help you talk naturally to friends, family and colleagues in a number of everyday situations.
GREETINGS
Just as in English, there are several ways of greeting people in Italian, depending on who you are addressing, and whether you want to be formal or not. Say buongiorno (good morning) or buonasera (good afternoon/good evening), if you want to sound polite.
Hello
Buongiorno.Hello.Buongiorno signora Rossi.Good morning, Mrs Rossi.Buongiorno Francesco, come va?Good afternoon Francesco, how are you?Buonasera.Good evening.BUONO A SAPERSI!
buon pomeriggio (good afternoon) exists in Italian. However it is only used on the radio or television, for example by newscasters. It would sound a bit odd if you greeted people saying buon pomeriggio: stick to buongiorno or, later on in the day, buonasera. Remember to say buongiorno or buonasera as you enter a shop or a restaurant.
Use salve (hi) if you wish to sound a bit more informal, whether you know the people you are greeting or not. If youre on friendly terms with someone or if you are addressing somebody young, you can say ciao (hi).
Hi
Salve, cerco Matteo.Hi, Im looking for Matteo.Salve, come va?Hi, how are things?Ciao ragazzi, come va?Hi there, how are things?Use arrivederci to say goodbye to people you dont know well. You can just say ciao to people you know or to somebody young. buongiorno and buonasera are also often used to say goodbye.
Goodbye
Arrivederci.Goodbye.Arrivederci, signora Clari!Goodbye, Mrs Clari!Ciao, ci vediamo domani.Bye, see you tomorrow.Allora io vado, buonasera a tutti.Im off, goodnight everybody.BUONO A SAPERSI!
Remember to say in Italian arrivederci when you leave a shop or restaurant.
While in English you can use goodnight to mean goodbye or to wish somebody a good nights sleep, in Italian you use buonanotte (goodnight) only before going to bed.
Goodnight
Meglio domire adesso. Buonanotte!Better go to sleep now. Goodnight!Vado a dormire, sono proprio stanca. Buonanotte a tutti.Im going to bed, Im really tired. Goodnight everybody.Buonanotte e sogni doro!Goodnight and sweet dreams!See you
A domani!See you tomorrow!A lunedì!See you on Monday!Ci vediamo!See you later!Allora a più tardi, ciao!See you later!BUONO A SAPERSI!
In Italian, if you use a più tardi for see you later, you expect to see the person later on that day, not just some time in the future as in English.
INTRODUCING PEOPLE
You may want to introduce people you know to one another. The simplest way is by saying questo (or questa) è (this is) when introducing a person. You can also use ti presento (Id like you to meet) when addressing someone you know well, or le presento to be more formal. When speaking to several people use vi presento.
This is
Questo è mio marito David.This is my husband, David.Questi sono i miei figli Andrew, Gordon e Emma.These are my children, Andrew, Gordon and Emma.Ti presento Lara.Id like you to meet Lara.Mi permetta di presentarle Richard, il mio compagno.Let me introduce You to Richard, my partner.Vi presento James, il fratello di Kate.Id likeyouall to meet James, Kates brother.When youre introduced to someone, youll want to know how to react. Just say piacere (nice to meet you) or molto piacere (how do you do?). You can also say piacere di conoscerla, or conoscerti to somebody younger. You can then introduce yourself, by saying your name. In more formal situations, Italians quite often give their surname rather than their first name.
Nice to meet you
Piacere, Emma.Nice to meet you, Im Emma.Piacere, io sono Anna e questo è Kevin.Nice to meet you, Im Anna and this is Kevin.Molto piacere, Sinclair.How do you do, my names Sinclair.E tu sei Maria? Piacere di conoscerti.Are you Maria? Nice to meet you.Piacere di conoscerla, avvocato Martini.Nice to meet You, Mr. Martini.BUONO A SAPERSI!
BUONO A SAPERSI!
Italians often use titles like avvocato (lawyer), ingegnere (engineer), architetto (architect) when addressing professionals, even without the name of the person, for example Buongiorno architetto!, in the same way as we would address a doctor.
If you want to introduce yourself to somebody, you can say Piacere and your name. A more formal way is to use Mi permetta di presentarmi, (May I introduce myself,).
Hello, Im
Piacere, sono Kate Brooks.Hello, Im Kate Brooks.Piacere, Peter.Hello, Im Peter.Salve, sono il fratello di Jane.Hi, Im Janes brother.Mi permetta di presentarmi, mi chiamo Thomas Baxter.May I introduce myself, Im Thomas Baxter.BUONO A SAPERSI!
If you have missed an introduction but you are keen to meet somebody you can say:
Mi scusi, non ci siamo presentati, io sono Catherine. Lei è? (Excuse me, we havent been introduced, Im Catherine, Youre?).
TALKING ABOUT YOURSELF
In order to get the conversation going, youll want to be able to talk about yourself what your name is, what you do and so on. To say what your name is in Italian, you use mi chiamo which literally means I call myself, from the verb chiamarsi (to be called). Alternatively, like in English, you can simply say sono (I am), from the verb essere (to be). For more information on the verbs chiamare and essere, see here and here.
My name is
Mi chiamo Jonathan Jones.My name is Jonathan Jones.Ciao, mi chiamo Danielle.Hi, my name is Danielle.Ci chiamiamo John e Francis.We are John and Francis.Salve, io sono Liam.Hi, Im Liam.Piacere, noi siamo Christine e Peter.Nice to meet you, we are Christine and Peter.If you want to say how old you are, use ho followed by your age and anni (literally I have years). ho comes from the verb avere (to have). For more information on avere, see here.
Im years old
Ho trentasette anni.Im thirty-seven years old.Ho ventidue anni.Im twenty-two.Mio figlio ha otto anni.My sons eight.Quanti anni hai?How old are you?BUONO A SAPERSI!
If you have to ask Quanti anni ha? (How old are You?) you can always add se non sono indiscreto (or indiscreta) (if You dont mind my asking).
To talk about who you are and what you do, use sono (I am), ho (I have) and faccio (I do). These come from the verbs essere (to be), avere (to have) and fare (to do). For more information on these verbs, see here, here and here.
Im
Sono il fratello di Ben.Im Bens brother.Sono unamica di Paul.Im a friend of Pauls.Non sono sposata.Im not married.Avevo una ragazza ma adesso sono single.I had a girlfriend but Im single now.Siamo amiche di Helen.We are Helens friends.When you say what you do in Italian, you use the verb fare (to do): Im a baker is faccio il panettiere. The verb essere (to be) can also be used, but it is less common.
Im a
Faccio linsegnante.Im a teacher.Faccio il medico.Im a doctor.Faccio il programmatore presso unazienda inglese.I work as a programmer for a British company.Sono avvocato.Im a lawer.Siamo studentesse.We are students.BUONO A SAPERSI!
Remember that when talking about peoples jobs, a in English is often translated by the definite article (il, la and so on) in Italian.