Lesson

Ciao! Introduction to Greetings in Italian

Welcome to your first Italian lesson! We'll start with the basics: greetings and introductions. It's important to know how to say "hello" and "goodbye", and how to introduce yourself. Let's get started!

One of the most common ways to say "hello" or "hi" in Italian is:

Ciao

You can use Ciao with almost anyone you meet casually. It’s like "Hi" or "Hey".

To say "Good morning" you would say:

Buongiorno

This phrase is generally used until noon.

For "Good afternoon" or "Good evening" you would use:

Buonasera

Use Buonasera from noon onwards.

Now, let's learn how to say "Goodbye". A common way to say goodbye is:

Arrivederci

You can use Arrivederci in almost all situations. It's the equivalent of "Goodbye".

Another way to say goodbye, which is a bit more informal, is:

Ciao

Remember, Ciao is used for both "hello" and "goodbye".

Introducing Yourself

Let's move on to introductions! To say "My name is..." in Italian, you can say:

Mi chiamo...

You would then follow with your name. For example, if your name is "Maria," you would say:

Mi chiamo Maria

To ask "What is your name?" in Italian, you can say:

Come ti chiami?

This is a common way to ask someone’s name. It translates to "How do you call yourself?"

Another way to ask "What is your name?" but this is more formal, is:

Come si chiama?

Use Come si chiama? when talking to someone older than you or in a business setting. It's "How do you call yourself?" but more respectful.

If you want to say "Nice to meet you", you can say:

Piacere

After someone introduces themselves. You can also say:

Piacere di conoscerti

This means "Nice to meet you" but is a bit longer. If you want to be more formal, you can say:

Piacere di conoscerla

This is more formal way of saying "Nice to meet you".

Asking Simple Personal Questions

To ask "How are you?" in Italian, you can say:

Come stai?

This is an informal way of asking. If you would like to ask a more formal "How are you?" you can say:

Come sta?

Some ways to answer "How are you?" is to say:

Bene

which means "Good". Or you can say:

Molto bene

which means "Very good".

And if you want to say "thank you" you would say:

Grazie

You will hear this often!

Great job! You've learned some basic greetings, how to introduce yourself and ask simple questions in Italian. Keep practicing!