Italian Greetings and Polite Words
Updated July 11, 2026
The most common Italian greetings are ciao (hello), buongiorno (good morning), buonasera (good evening), and arrivederci (goodbye), with salve as a polite catch-all. Here they are with the everyday courtesy words you will use alongside them.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| ciao | hello, byeinformal |
| buongiorno | good morning, good day |
| buonasera | good evening |
| buonanotte | good night |
| arrivederci | goodbye |
| salve | hellopolite and register-neutral |
| come stai? | how are you?informal; formal is come sta? |
| per favore | please |
| grazie | thank you |
| prego | you're welcome |
| sì | yesaccent distinguishes it from si (oneself) |
| no | no |
Want these to stick? Hear them in real context: LingoBinge surfaces words like these while you watch Italian shows on Netflix, and saves them for spaced review.
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Frequently asked questions
- How do you say hello in Italian?
- The all-purpose informal hello is ciao, which also means bye. More politely you say buongiorno (good morning) or salve, and buonasera in the evening.
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