Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Standard greeting
• Method 2 of 3: Slang and Informal Greetings
• Method 3 of 3: Introducing yourself
• Tips

Italian is a fairly orderly language, especially when compared to Russian. To greet someone in Italian, they usually say buongiorno (buonjorno), which means "good afternoon." In the evening you can say buona sera (buona sera), that is, "good evening." You may already know the word ciao (chao), which means "hello", but it is not used when addressing strangers. Leave this word for communication with friends and family members, as well as people you know the same age or younger than you.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Standard greeting

1. 1 Greet people in the daytime with a word buongiorno. When meeting strangers, older family members, friends and acquaintances in the daytime, greeting is most often used buongiorno (buonjorno). It translates as "good afternoon."
   • Like most Italian greetings, you can use buongiorno either "hello" when you see someone for the first time in a day, or "goodbye" when you say goodbye.
2. 2 In the evening use buona sera. After about 16:00 talk buongiorno is no longer accepted. If you want to say hello in the evening, like at dinner, say buona sera (buona sera), which means "good evening".
   • It is customary for Italians to have a rest after lunch (daytime rest, or riposo, usually lasts from 14:00 to 16:00). Time after riposo counts in the evening.

   Pronunciation: unlike some other European languages, such as English, German or French, Italian is characterized by a rolling sound r ("R"). Try pressing the tip of your tongue against the back of your front teeth, as if you are going to make the "d" sound.

   
   
3. 3 Ask how your interlocutor is doing. As a rule, greetings are not limited to one word. To ask "how are you?", Say come sta (coma hundred), especially if you are dealing with a stranger or someone older than you in age or position. If you are talking to someone of your age, someone younger than you, or a friend or acquaintance, use a more informal form. come stai (kome flock).
   • The standard answer to come sta is an bene grazie (benne grace), which means "okay, thank you." If the interlocutor got ahead of you and was the first to ask how you are doing, you can answer bene grazie, e tu? (if he is your age or younger than you, using the "you" address) or bene grazie, e lei? (a more formal appeal to "you").

   Cultural features: in a formal setting, such as a business meeting, a question come sta? may find it too direct and personal. If the person has recently arrived, you can ask him how the flight went. You can also compliment him for any accomplishments, or tell him that you admire him as a leader or expert in a particular field.

   
   
4. 4 Shake hands with the person if you are meeting him for the first time. Italian culture is characterized by warm, friendly relationships, and physical contact is perhaps more important than you are used to. When you meet someone you know, even a casual one on the street, it is customary to shake hands.
   • In many regions of Italy, it is customary that when meeting a man, women extend their hand first.
   • When shaking hands, look the person directly in the eyes and smile. Italians do not usually place their other hand on top of your hand, but they can grab your elbow or forearm.

   Cultural features: As a rule, Italians greet friends and relatives with light kisses, one on the left and one on the right cheek, regardless of gender. However, in southern Italy, men usually kiss only family members. If you are not sure what to do, check with someone from the local area.

   
   
5. 5 Use prontoto greet the other person on the phone. In Russian, they usually start a telephone conversation with "hello". In Italian, this is analogous to pronto (pro'nto), which literally translates "ready".
   • Word pronto used only when talking on the phone. If you say it under different circumstances, then, most likely, it will cause confusion among others.

Method 2 of 3: Slang and Informal Greetings

1. 1 Use ciaoto greet your friends. Though ciao (chao) is probably one of the most famous greetings in the Italian language and is only used when talking to friends and close acquaintances. Ciao never tell strangers. This word should also not be used when communicating with older people and in a formal setting, as this will be considered rude.
   • You may also know the phrase ciao bella (chao bella), which translates as "hello, handsome". This phrase usually has a flirtatious tinge, although it can also be used among friends. Be careful when using it when communicating with acquaintances, as you may be misunderstood.
   • Ciao can be pronounced both when meeting and when parting, like the words "hello" and "goodbye."
2. 2 To greet a group of friends, say ciao a tutti (chao a tutti - "Hi all").

   Cultural features: usually in all but the most informal cases, it is customary to say hello to each person present separately. Even if you've met a group of friends, you should still say hello to each one individually if you don't know everyone very well.

3. 3 If you hesitate, say salve.Salve (salve) means "hello", this word is usually suitable for any situation. While many words and phrases in Italian are considered either polite and formal or friendly and informal, salve used in both contexts.
   • If you have known a person for a long time and are very close to them, they will most likely find salve too formal. In this case, it is better to use ciao.
4. 4 Tell bellato greet people younger than you.Bella (bella) literally means "beautiful" or even "beautiful," and many young people in Italy use it as a general greeting, like ciao... However, it refers to youth slang, so do not use this greeting when communicating with people over 30 years old or if you are in your 30s, otherwise it will look childish.
   • Bella often accompanied by other Italian words that mean "guys" or "guys", for example bella lì or bella zio.
5. 5 Add come buttato ask the other person in Italian “what's new?". No one will be surprised if you just say come sta... However, if you want to make it easier to communicate with Italian friends your age in an informal setting, you can try come butta (kome butta), which is a little less formal.
   • Avoid using this slang in public places, such as when greeting a waiter in a restaurant, even if he is the same age or younger than you. In such a situation, this phrase may sound unceremonious, and a person may find it rude and even demeaning.

Method 3 of 3: Introducing yourself

1. 1 After the initial greeting, give your name. If this is your first time meeting the person, you usually need to introduce yourself after greeting. Say it in Italian mi chiamo (mi kyamo), then say your name.
   • If you want to ask the name of another person, you can say come ti chiami (informal address to "you") or come si chiama (formal appeal to "you"). If you just said your name, you can continue. e tu ("What about you?") Or e lei ("and you?").
2. 2 Let the other person know that you are happy to see him. After you meet, you can politely say piacere (piacere), which means "glad to see you." You can also say piacere di consoscerti (informal address to "you") or piacere di consocerla (formal appeal to "you").
   • If you are communicating informally with someone about your age, you might instead say incantato (or incantataif you are a woman). This is similar to the Russian "I'm fascinated" and sounds a little flirtatious.

   Cultural features: Italians are used to certain conventions. When talking to a person who is older than you, refer to him by title and surname, unless you are asked otherwise.

3. 3 Explain where you are from. For example, if you are a tourist traveling in Italy, your new acquaintance will probably want to know where you come from. To communicate where you are from, one might say vengo da (vengo yes) or sono di (sono di) and pronounce the name of your country (or even city, if widely known).
   • To ask where your interlocutor is from, you can say di dove sei (informal option) or di dov’è (formal version).

   Advice: Italians can tell you which city they are from. Just as we say "I am a Muscovite", an Italian can say sono Milanese ("I'm Milanese") or sono Romano ("I am Roman").

4. 4 Please report your knowledge of Italian. At this stage of the conversation, if you only know a few words of Italian, you should inform your interlocutor about it. After that, you can ask him if he knows Russian or another language in which you can communicate fluently enough. However, if you want to practice your Italian, you can ask the other person to continue speaking that language. Here are some useful phrases:
   • "Parli russo?" (informal variant) or "Parla russo?" (formal version): "Do you speak Russian?";
   • "Può parlare più lentamente?": "Please speak more slowly";
   • "Parli un'altra lingua oltre l'italiano?": "Do you speak any language other than Italian?";
   • "Parla italiano con me": "speak Italian to me."

   Pronunciation: superscripts only indicate which syllable should be stressed. They do not change the pronunciation of the letters.

Tips

• Italian is a phonetic language with strict pronunciation rules. The same letter is always pronounced the same, and if you know how it sounds in any word, you can pronounce it in any other word.