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Italian greetings and farewells
Not just 'ciao'. Here's when to use which greeting, and how to avoid sounding rude.
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The greetings
- Ciao: Hi / Bye. Informal. NEVER use with strangers, older people, or in shops.
- Buongiorno: Good day. Used from morning until roughly 5 pm. Formal-friendly.
- Buon pomeriggio: Good afternoon. Sometimes used but "buongiorno" covers it.
- Buonasera: Good evening. Used from ~5 pm onwards, and later even means "good night" (as a greeting, not farewell).
- Salve: Hello. Neutral formality, safe when in doubt.
The farewells
- Ciao / Ciao ciao: Bye. Informal.
- Arrivederci: Goodbye. Formal.
- ArrivederLa: Very formal (to a single person you address with Lei).
- Buonanotte: Good night. Only when leaving / going to bed.
- A dopo / A domani / A presto: See you later / tomorrow / soon.
Formal vs informal
Use tu (informal) with people your age, family, friends, children.
Use Lei (formal, the polite third person) with older people, strangers, shopkeepers, bureaucrats, colleagues you don't know yet. If they invite you to say tu, Diamoci del tu, switch happily.
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