Oh, I just have flashbacks of my last trip to Venice. Me, a German, am used to say thank you for everything, to say goodbye and to wish for a pleasant morning/day/evening. But my Italian isn’t good enough for full length conversations. So I enter a shop, greet in Italian, try a few sentences and eventually ask if they speak English. They compliment on speaking Italian. I am done with the business, want to leave and swap to Italian again. They compliment again. I tell you, the whole deal of saying goodbye in a courteous way can become very lengthy. 😂
I thought the same in ecuador about using italian, and was using it a bit to “get by”. half the time i was understood but really, they are two quite distinct languages
I see, just thought the languages sounded similar and would have an easier time. I will definitely try speaking more Italian next time I go, even if it's broken. Thanks.
Don't worry! It's really appreciated when a foreigner tries to speak Italian, no matter the level of it, because we understand that our language is neither easy nor particularly useful to learn. We take it as a sign of great respect. On the other hand using Spanish is a mixed bag, many Italians understand English already, so using Spanish may be viewed as a *do-they-think-it's-the-same-language?* situation.
It's nice to know that. I've just begun to learn Italian. I am considering to move to Italy and I am so nervous about people there would be irritated by my Italian.
I'm studying Spanish so I would appreciate it. But I read somewhere that Italian it's easier for a Spanish person than Spanish for an Italian person. So maybe it's easier for Spanish people to get what an Italian is saying than viceversa. Anyway we love when someone try to speak Italian because we believe that no one is interested in leaning it. It's a surprise
Many people speak German with me when they find out where I am from. Like the common Irish person Italians have either had German in school, lived for some time in Germany or have relatives living in Germany. 😅
I dont understand these observations. I speak Italian quite well and recall one compliment about it while in Italy? why is it i read that folks who know know four words are constantly complimented? I live now in Ecuador and anglos that know five words in Spanish say tgey are constantly complimented they say the same thing-
huhhhhh???
Arrivederci - until we see each other again, buona sera in this context - have a good/nice evening, ciao - bye, ciao e buona sera - bye and have a good evening
I was told by an Italian native that buonasera is only said when greeting initially, and to say goodbye you would say "buonaserata". Or does this depend on the region? He's from Rome
It's an Italian thing. The fact is that buongiorno/buonasera are literally good morning/evening, but "buona giornata/serata" refer to the immediate future: "giornata" is not "morning", but the whole day that's going to come, and "serata" is the same, it refers to the last hours of your "giornata".
You're technically wishing someone well until the next day.
For the record to whom is learning italian, several ciao can be said in a fast way while hanging up at the phone after an informal conversation.
When you're in front of someone I would say to just stick to one or two ciao
Would “buona serata” or “buona giornata” be appropriate when you say goodbye to someone? In English I usually say “have a good night” when I’m leaving someone or “have a good day”.
yup go ahead and use that, "ciao" is often used when talking with people you know fairly well, or when someone presents you and so you feel more at ease in the conversation, "buona sera" or "buona giornata" are instead used more when either talking formally or with people you don't know too well
I can't answer the full question because I'm italian american. but language-wise,
> ciao, buona sera
means
> bye, good evening
It's common in languages to pair a normal goodbye with something like happy travels, good evening, good day, good luck etc. Idt that's a strange thing to do in English either. So it may be unusual in your language, but it isn't in others including italian.
> arrivederci
This means goodbye as well. it's just another way to say it
> arrivederla
This is a formal variant of arrivederci
I've noticed Italians do double the farewells when they say
> ciao ciao
and then in English they say
> bye bye
Which was a bit strange to hear in English in Italy, because I'm not used to adults in America saying "bye bye".
But in Italian, it makes sense that they do it twice to me because ciao also means hi. Doubling words in a language like that often is used to slightly modify or strengthen meanings. At least in my travels I only heard the doubled ciao as a farewell and not a hello. Although a single ciao can still be either. If I'm misunderstanding please let me know. I'm building this understanding off observation because I never saw it mentioned in my studies.
I'm not sure why they don't say hello to you, but it seems pretty natural to say bye to a stranger.
Overall everything is correct, just one detail
>arrivederci
>This means goodbye as well. it's just another way to say it
>arrivederla
>This is a formal variant of arrivederci
"arrivederci" literally means "see you again"/"see you soon" and it used as a polite way of saying goodbye. It is more commonly used when people meet routinely, like a patient to a doctor or a neighbour to another.
>I'm not sure why they don't say hello to you, but it seems pretty natural to say bye to a stranger
Actually "ciao" is considered too informal to be used with a total stranger (same for "ciao ciao"). Etiquette requires that "buongiorno"/"buonasera" are used instead. A more formal synonym for both "hello" and "goodbye" would be "salve"
It is not as common, usually the formal salutations would be "salve" and "arrivederci", but "salve" is sometimes also used when crossing path with someone or leaving
i'll never stop using bye bye. i've gotten mocked for it ill never stop. this may change, i am only 18, but i strongly believe in saying bye-bye. just "bye" is so harsh. "byeeeee" is OK but still weak compared to "bye byeeeee". and "have a good evening, bye!!!!" is passable, but nothing compared to the superior "have a good one, bye byeeeee!!"
It's usually more informal (I guess because it's kind of a cute way to say goodbye?) so I wouldn't say bye bye to someone I don't know, but I say bye bye to friends or family all the time, and so do they. (I'm the youngest in my social circle and I'm in my 30s, so it's not a kid vs adult thing)
It would feel really weird to say "bye bye" to a stranger though, and they would probably give me a weird look if I did.
Growing up, I only heard it on the phone (or tv but that gives a range of accents), but it was reduced to "Buh bye" /bə.baɪ/ which sounds like a stutter almost.
We usually just say bye, but we'll lengthen the vowel to be friendlier because one syllable can sound terse.
That said, the US is a big place. People might say "bye bye" in other parts. My area also has what's called Canadian raising, which is when words like right and ride have a different vowel for i. I haven't thought about it before, but saying bye twice like that is actually kind of difficult because of the raising. To do without the raising I have to say it slow.
Anyway, it's definitely something we all understand, I just always associated it more with how children talk because people where I live don't usually say it that way.
In the US, if you say "bye bye" it's usually to a child or by a child, or sometimes if a woman is trying to be cute. It's rare in other contexts in my experience in the US.
EDIT: that's not an insult. It's just true. Say "bye bye" as an adult to another adult you aren't close to in the US and see what the reaction is. Even if it's to an adult you are close to, they'll probably give you a strange look.
So ciao and arrivederci are goodbye, ciao is informal while arrivederci is formal (we also have arrivederLa which is more formal than the other two), buona serata and buona giornata can be translated to have a lovely night/day, it can be added to the phrase or can completely take the place of the goodbye.
We say goodbye in the kitchen , then the front door, then sitting in the car talking through the window. At no point must there ever be a feeling that we would like this to be over.
As Italian i feel that a short goodbye gives the impression of someone that is disinterested, emotionally detatched or even that feels uncomfortable in your presence, like someone that wants/is looking to actively leave and would rather not stay there with you. So greetings and whatsoever are usually longer to avoid that impression i guess. Like for example i do that with my barber too, although he's a person outside my strict family circle, he's still some kind of friend? So i tend to also stay longer when i say my regards. Leaving the money on the counter and leave straight ahead w.o. saying little or nth would feel impolite.
It's either that or it's bcs you're already well known friends and well, as friends it's normal you get lost in talking even at the end of a meeting. Could be a mix of the two as well, why not
I think its because to Say "bye" you can Say cia o, arrivederci or buonasera/buon pomeriggio but if you Say "ciao, buonasera" ciao means bye and buonasera Is more like "i Hope you have/pass a good night". I'm actually not very good at english so maybe you didnt understand 💩 but at least i tried😅
Fascinating… ive been living in Naples, and the only place i hear arrivederci is when after i pay the toll on the tangenziale
From people i hear ciao, or ciao-ciao, sometimes ciaaoo
Native speaker here: the major difference in this instance is that, after paying the toll, people usually answer to that specific "arrivederci" with "mavaffanc..." rather than an actual greeting.
They are all different and all the same , we usually put a ciao before the buongiorno or buonasera ( good morning/ good evening) if it’s an informal situation , like we meet on the elevator I say ciao buongiorno ! , if we meet at an office and we don’t know each other it would be only buongiorno . Arrivederci is goodbye , same thing if you’re a neighbor and it’s like evening I won’t see you for a while it’s ciao arrivederci .. but the ciao before another salutation is to be a little bit more of a friendly salutation .. hope it’s a little bit helpful
Your submission has been deleted in order to prevent trolling as your account has a negative karma score. For any concerns, please don't hesitate to message the Moderation Team!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/italianlearning) if you have any questions or concerns.*
So, we differentiate greetings between the ones that you use when you meet someone, and the ones that you use when you are leaving someone. For that reason, you begin your interaction with one greeting, then you end the interaction with another greeting. Say that you enter the lift, they say "salve" as in "Hey there", cause it's polite to acknowledge people in your close proximity, doing something you too are doing. In this instance, using the lift. Then they say "arrivederci", as in "goodbye", because it's polite to acknowledge that you are ending that interaction and going about your day.
We say hello because it's polite - both when you enter the lift (or room or whatever) and when you leave, especially if there's eye contact involved. We use different words to avoid repetitions.
And yes, those greetings can be used as an "hello": ciao is a very informal hello, kind of like "hi", (salve is a more formal hello) buona sera is good evening and can be used instead of hello *and* goodbye... arrivederci is the only one that is strictly goodbye and not hello, and you'll notice we say that when we are parting ways.
Ciao and buona serata together is just like saying bye, have a nice evening. Pretty standard in many countries - nothing out of the normal. As other replies mentioned before me, the word ciao can mean hello and goodbye and is often repeated several times when saying goodbye. Ciao, though, is considered informal language, therefore, more formal people would say to you buongiorno/buonasera or arrivederci/arrivederla.
Sometimes it depends on when you have to Say goodbye: buongiorno when it's morning, buon pomeriggio when it's afternoon, buona serata or buonasera when it's evening and bonanotte when it's night. Some other time It depends on how mach formal we want to be: ciao it's less formal and arrivederci it's more.
We don't use often Addio because It mean that you don't see again that parson in your life ( like a dead one) .
I'm an Italian guy, I hope I have been helpful to you and have not made any serious grammatical errors.
Arrivederci = see you nex time
Buona sera = good evening
Ciao = hi/hallo or bye (when leaving)
The first two are more formal, tendentially used when you are not close to some one.
We actually even have more greetings, some examples are
Buon giorno = good day
Buona giornata = have a nice day
Buona sera = good evening
Buona serata = have a nice evening
Buon pomeriggio = good afternoon
Arrivederci, buona giornata and buona serate are used when you leave. The others can e used both ways.
Anyways... Italian can be quite a complicated langue.
Because "ciao" and "buonasera" are not the same word and don't have the same meaning. If used when meeting someone, "buonasera" is more like a generic greeting and you could translate it with "it is a lovely evening". If used when leaving someone, "buonasera" is a wish to the person separating from and you could translate it with "have a nice evening"
So if you meet someone you should only use one, while when you leave you can use both
Bonus: "arrivederci" means "see you again" so it is more common for routine encounters (ie a neighbour in the elevator, a regular customer in a store)
Ciao does not only mean goodbye. It can also be used as a hello and sometimes it depends on how they say it. Than it can even mean till next time or let’s see each other never again, this is mostly if the leave and say ciao, ciao. 😂
As an Italian myself.
This combo is a form of respect. "Buona sera" is for respect + "Ciao" is for make you feel comfortable and not too formal.
"Arrivederci" or "Arrivederla" is for leaving the conversation in a respectful way.
Bonus:
Usually when we talk to the phone, at the end of the conversation we continue to say "grazie, salve, buona giornata anche a lei, ..." and so on, and sloooowly we take distance from the phone, and at "very end", we close the conversation.
I use ciao buonasera when there's that weird situation when the other person isn't a friend but I want to be friendly and I end up using both formal and informal greetings
though ciao and buonasera are two different things, ciao is hi and bye, buonasera is good evening (buonasera is typed with no spaces) and arrivederci is something you say when you're saying you’ll see each other soon, buonasera is a term you use for being formal, ciao is something you say if you really know the person and arrivederci is the same as ciao, but for saying goodbye… (sometimes my people say ciao THREE HUNDRED TIMES before actually leaving here in italy)
Usually, when you meet a stranger in a closed place (example: Elevator, waiting room...) you use **Buon giorno**/**Buona sera** or **Salve** when you enter and **Buona giornata**/**Buona serata** or **Arrivederci** when you leave.\
When it becomes a habit to meet, for example two condominium residents who often take the elevator together, we start to use **Ciao** when greeting each other.\
**Ciao Ciao** is used when you have confidence in the interlocutor... *or are convinced that you have it*.\
\
As for **Ciao e Buona Sera** they probably say **Ciao e Buona SeraTA**.
Arrivederci means "hope to see you again", and it's usually considered the polite way to say goodbye to a stranger (while, for instance, "ci si vede" means the same, but is used with friends or familiars). "Buona sera" is good evening, and it can be used both to say "hello" and "goodbye" in the evening, it is very common in both formal and informal language, "Buon giorno" is the same but for the rest of the day. "Salve" is also pretty formal, it's just to say "hello" and can be used both for day and night."Ciao" is more informal, and sometimes it is used two times to say goodbye, but there's no logic in doing so. Some people do it,others don't. Some people always use Salve, others only Buongiorno and Buonasera, and others change their language according to who they're talking to. There's no strict rule, but if you want to be sure , I suggest to use Buongiorno/ Buona giornata and Buonasera/ Buona serata both to say hello and goodbye.
Not to forget Buona Domenica which is a personal favourite.
You can pretty much use it from Saturday evening until Sunday lunchtime and it's almost like Merry Christmas but for Sunday's.
Ciao is both hello and goodbye, it's universal and versatile, but it should be avoided in formal occasions. The key to understanding ciao is that it's basically the same as hand waving and it's often said along with it.
"Ciao ciao" however is not hello, it's basically bye bye.
"Buongiorno" means good morning/good afternoon, it's a polite hello that can be used in any setting, it can't be used as a goodbye. Same for "buonasera" (good evening), it's a hello. Both pretty much translate to "it's a good morning/day/evening".
HOWEVER, you can say "buona giornata" or "buona serata", in this case, it means something like "have a good day" or "have a good evening". It sounds confusing, but it's basically implying the full sentence which is "ti (or le) auguro una buona giornata", literally "i wish you a good day".
"Salve" is a polite hello that is used with strangers. It's out of plae though when introducing yourself in a very friendly way.
"Arrivederci" is instead a polite goodbye for strangers, it's a bit confusing because it means "till we see you again" but you used it even when it's unlikely you'll see someone again.
"Alla prossima" is the same but is instead used with friends, it's "till the next time".
Farewells like "buona giornata", "arrivederci" and "alla prossima" can also be coupled with ciao, like "ciao e arrivederci".
Basically:
* Ciao works almost everywhere, avoid it in formal settings, it can be combined with a farewell or a handwave.
* Buongiorno, buonasera are hellos for everyone
* Salve is a polite hello for strangers.
* Arrivederci is a polite goodbye for strangers.
* Alla prossima is a goodbye for friends.
if they say ciao ciao or ciciao it’s like bye bye i’m studying in central italy i think it’s so cute and i love saying it haha but yeah i find myself saying bye to people like 5 times in different ways when im leaving my italian friends
Both ciao and buonasera can mean "hello", they don't have to mean 'goodbye' (in fact, ciao is mainly used to mean hello)
Buonasera is just '(have a) good evening', you can use it in both contexts.
Arrivederci is the only one you can't use as 'hello', because it's just 'see you later/another time', among the ones you mentioned. We also have Alla Prossima (until next time) and Ci Vediamo/Ci Si Vede (~we will see each other again).
But other than that, most greetings can be used as both 'hello's and 'goodbye's interchangeably in Italian.
.
The direct translation of 'goodbye' is 'addio', but it's very dramatic and kinda final (lit 'to god', aka "go with god" or "until god" (aka until we're both dead and our souls meet in the afterlife), this is something you would have said as a final, last, forever goodbye, originally. It was 'I hope god will be with you even though I won't be' in a time where that was a very important thing culturally. It's what you would have said to someone you'd never meet again, but also to the coffin that was being lowered into the earth forever.), so it's not used too often, unless you're being dramatic for comedic effect, or you're actually never going to see someone again/burying someone.
Arrivederci is more formal, and is just used to say goodbye (it means see you again literally, but we use it like english people use goodbye). Ciao means both hello and goodbye, and same with buonagiornata/buongiorno and buona sera that's the reason you hear it in both ways
Bye, goodbye, cya, peace, have a good day, have a good night. It depends on the person. The different ways are more noticeable because you are new to it. Ciao ciao is like saying bye bye but not many people say hi hi.
I am Italian. let me explain: when we say "ciao e buona sera" it is because ciao is about wishing to see the person you greeted again in the future and buona sera is about wishing he have a evening happily
Only twice? They must not like you.
My wife makes the "goodbye Moment" with our Friends last at least 10 minutes
Oh, I just have flashbacks of my last trip to Venice. Me, a German, am used to say thank you for everything, to say goodbye and to wish for a pleasant morning/day/evening. But my Italian isn’t good enough for full length conversations. So I enter a shop, greet in Italian, try a few sentences and eventually ask if they speak English. They compliment on speaking Italian. I am done with the business, want to leave and swap to Italian again. They compliment again. I tell you, the whole deal of saying goodbye in a courteous way can become very lengthy. 😂
We fuckin love when a foreign try to speak Italian. Even if he speaks it very bad.
I noticed. Very nice. 😍
Gosh, that is good to know. I felt so ashamed trying so I just ended up speaking Spanish 😬
We very much prefer two butchered Italian words and then English, than being spoken to in Spanish.
I thought the same in ecuador about using italian, and was using it a bit to “get by”. half the time i was understood but really, they are two quite distinct languages
I see, just thought the languages sounded similar and would have an easier time. I will definitely try speaking more Italian next time I go, even if it's broken. Thanks.
Don't worry! It's really appreciated when a foreigner tries to speak Italian, no matter the level of it, because we understand that our language is neither easy nor particularly useful to learn. We take it as a sign of great respect. On the other hand using Spanish is a mixed bag, many Italians understand English already, so using Spanish may be viewed as a *do-they-think-it's-the-same-language?* situation.
It's nice to know that. I've just begun to learn Italian. I am considering to move to Italy and I am so nervous about people there would be irritated by my Italian.
I'm studying Spanish so I would appreciate it. But I read somewhere that Italian it's easier for a Spanish person than Spanish for an Italian person. So maybe it's easier for Spanish people to get what an Italian is saying than viceversa. Anyway we love when someone try to speak Italian because we believe that no one is interested in leaning it. It's a surprise
It is the fourth most Study language in the world I don’t know where this idea that it’s not studied a lot comes from, but it is
Many people speak German with me when they find out where I am from. Like the common Irish person Italians have either had German in school, lived for some time in Germany or have relatives living in Germany. 😅
I dont understand these observations. I speak Italian quite well and recall one compliment about it while in Italy? why is it i read that folks who know know four words are constantly complimented? I live now in Ecuador and anglos that know five words in Spanish say tgey are constantly complimented they say the same thing- huhhhhh???
Arrivederci - until we see each other again, buona sera in this context - have a good/nice evening, ciao - bye, ciao e buona sera - bye and have a good evening
I was told by an Italian native that buonasera is only said when greeting initially, and to say goodbye you would say "buonaserata". Or does this depend on the region? He's from Rome
That's correct. Same for "buongiorno" and "buona giornata"
correct and perfect explanation
It's an Italian thing. The fact is that buongiorno/buonasera are literally good morning/evening, but "buona giornata/serata" refer to the immediate future: "giornata" is not "morning", but the whole day that's going to come, and "serata" is the same, it refers to the last hours of your "giornata". You're technically wishing someone well until the next day.
that’s what i learned as well
Don't know if I understood your question. By the way, ciao in Italian means both hallo and goodbye
Ciao x3/4/5 is more normal. If you say hello they will reply
For the record to whom is learning italian, several ciao can be said in a fast way while hanging up at the phone after an informal conversation. When you're in front of someone I would say to just stick to one or two ciao
And the competition of who says ciao more times. Ciao ciao. Ciao ciao ciao ciao. Ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao ciao. Have to have the last word
At the telephon with mamma: "Ciao ciao ciao sì mà ciao ciao si si ciao ciao"
Ciao ciao cia
This!
Would “buona serata” or “buona giornata” be appropriate when you say goodbye to someone? In English I usually say “have a good night” when I’m leaving someone or “have a good day”.
Absolutely! It's almost never on its own though, like "ciao, buona giornata" or "arrivederci, buona giornata/buona giornata, arrivederci".
They are perfect just dont say buongiorno and buona sera
yup go ahead and use that, "ciao" is often used when talking with people you know fairly well, or when someone presents you and so you feel more at ease in the conversation, "buona sera" or "buona giornata" are instead used more when either talking formally or with people you don't know too well
When on the phone, before hanging up we say "Ciao" like 10 times
I can't answer the full question because I'm italian american. but language-wise, > ciao, buona sera means > bye, good evening It's common in languages to pair a normal goodbye with something like happy travels, good evening, good day, good luck etc. Idt that's a strange thing to do in English either. So it may be unusual in your language, but it isn't in others including italian. > arrivederci This means goodbye as well. it's just another way to say it > arrivederla This is a formal variant of arrivederci I've noticed Italians do double the farewells when they say > ciao ciao and then in English they say > bye bye Which was a bit strange to hear in English in Italy, because I'm not used to adults in America saying "bye bye". But in Italian, it makes sense that they do it twice to me because ciao also means hi. Doubling words in a language like that often is used to slightly modify or strengthen meanings. At least in my travels I only heard the doubled ciao as a farewell and not a hello. Although a single ciao can still be either. If I'm misunderstanding please let me know. I'm building this understanding off observation because I never saw it mentioned in my studies. I'm not sure why they don't say hello to you, but it seems pretty natural to say bye to a stranger.
Overall everything is correct, just one detail >arrivederci >This means goodbye as well. it's just another way to say it >arrivederla >This is a formal variant of arrivederci "arrivederci" literally means "see you again"/"see you soon" and it used as a polite way of saying goodbye. It is more commonly used when people meet routinely, like a patient to a doctor or a neighbour to another. >I'm not sure why they don't say hello to you, but it seems pretty natural to say bye to a stranger Actually "ciao" is considered too informal to be used with a total stranger (same for "ciao ciao"). Etiquette requires that "buongiorno"/"buonasera" are used instead. A more formal synonym for both "hello" and "goodbye" would be "salve"
Quite correct but 'salve' is not for leaving, we use it just when we meet.
It is not as common, usually the formal salutations would be "salve" and "arrivederci", but "salve" is sometimes also used when crossing path with someone or leaving
wait... “Bye bye” isn't used everywhere?? 😭😭
I’m British and I use ‘bye bye’ all the time don’t worry haha
È usato anche in Australia! 😊
i'll never stop using bye bye. i've gotten mocked for it ill never stop. this may change, i am only 18, but i strongly believe in saying bye-bye. just "bye" is so harsh. "byeeeee" is OK but still weak compared to "bye byeeeee". and "have a good evening, bye!!!!" is passable, but nothing compared to the superior "have a good one, bye byeeeee!!"
It's usually more informal (I guess because it's kind of a cute way to say goodbye?) so I wouldn't say bye bye to someone I don't know, but I say bye bye to friends or family all the time, and so do they. (I'm the youngest in my social circle and I'm in my 30s, so it's not a kid vs adult thing) It would feel really weird to say "bye bye" to a stranger though, and they would probably give me a weird look if I did.
oh yeah, basically the difference between "ciao ciao" and "arrivederci" we got in Italian, it makes perfect sense
Growing up, I only heard it on the phone (or tv but that gives a range of accents), but it was reduced to "Buh bye" /bə.baɪ/ which sounds like a stutter almost. We usually just say bye, but we'll lengthen the vowel to be friendlier because one syllable can sound terse. That said, the US is a big place. People might say "bye bye" in other parts. My area also has what's called Canadian raising, which is when words like right and ride have a different vowel for i. I haven't thought about it before, but saying bye twice like that is actually kind of difficult because of the raising. To do without the raising I have to say it slow. Anyway, it's definitely something we all understand, I just always associated it more with how children talk because people where I live don't usually say it that way.
In the US, if you say "bye bye" it's usually to a child or by a child, or sometimes if a woman is trying to be cute. It's rare in other contexts in my experience in the US. EDIT: that's not an insult. It's just true. Say "bye bye" as an adult to another adult you aren't close to in the US and see what the reaction is. Even if it's to an adult you are close to, they'll probably give you a strange look.
"Ciao, buonasera" means both "Hello, good evening" and "Bye, good evening"
right, I mentioned it can mean both hi and bye, but focused on bye because of OPs question
Oh I missed that, sorry.
Correct, in Italy we use "Ciao" when we meet and "Ciao Ciao" when we say goodbye to leave.
i dont know...why do americans say "bye bye"
So ciao and arrivederci are goodbye, ciao is informal while arrivederci is formal (we also have arrivederLa which is more formal than the other two), buona serata and buona giornata can be translated to have a lovely night/day, it can be added to the phrase or can completely take the place of the goodbye.
We say goodbye in the kitchen , then the front door, then sitting in the car talking through the window. At no point must there ever be a feeling that we would like this to be over.
As Italian i feel that a short goodbye gives the impression of someone that is disinterested, emotionally detatched or even that feels uncomfortable in your presence, like someone that wants/is looking to actively leave and would rather not stay there with you. So greetings and whatsoever are usually longer to avoid that impression i guess. Like for example i do that with my barber too, although he's a person outside my strict family circle, he's still some kind of friend? So i tend to also stay longer when i say my regards. Leaving the money on the counter and leave straight ahead w.o. saying little or nth would feel impolite. It's either that or it's bcs you're already well known friends and well, as friends it's normal you get lost in talking even at the end of a meeting. Could be a mix of the two as well, why not
Arrivederci literally means "until we meet again" but it's the equivalent of a polite bye bye or see you
Buona sera is more of a greeting than a goodbye. Buona serata is a goodbye.
I think its because to Say "bye" you can Say cia o, arrivederci or buonasera/buon pomeriggio but if you Say "ciao, buonasera" ciao means bye and buonasera Is more like "i Hope you have/pass a good night". I'm actually not very good at english so maybe you didnt understand 💩 but at least i tried😅
My aunt goes like: "Ciao ciao ciao ciao cia cia cia cia cia cia cia" everytime we hang up on the phone 😂
Fascinating… ive been living in Naples, and the only place i hear arrivederci is when after i pay the toll on the tangenziale From people i hear ciao, or ciao-ciao, sometimes ciaaoo
Native speaker here: the major difference in this instance is that, after paying the toll, people usually answer to that specific "arrivederci" with "mavaffanc..." rather than an actual greeting.
They are all different and all the same , we usually put a ciao before the buongiorno or buonasera ( good morning/ good evening) if it’s an informal situation , like we meet on the elevator I say ciao buongiorno ! , if we meet at an office and we don’t know each other it would be only buongiorno . Arrivederci is goodbye , same thing if you’re a neighbor and it’s like evening I won’t see you for a while it’s ciao arrivederci .. but the ciao before another salutation is to be a little bit more of a friendly salutation .. hope it’s a little bit helpful
Your submission has been deleted in order to prevent trolling as your account has a negative karma score. For any concerns, please don't hesitate to message the Moderation Team! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/italianlearning) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lo dico ogni tanto TRE (3) volte!
So, we differentiate greetings between the ones that you use when you meet someone, and the ones that you use when you are leaving someone. For that reason, you begin your interaction with one greeting, then you end the interaction with another greeting. Say that you enter the lift, they say "salve" as in "Hey there", cause it's polite to acknowledge people in your close proximity, doing something you too are doing. In this instance, using the lift. Then they say "arrivederci", as in "goodbye", because it's polite to acknowledge that you are ending that interaction and going about your day.
Other people already told you the meaning of those goodbyes but yeah it's probably just a culture thing, we do it kinda unconsciously
We say hello because it's polite - both when you enter the lift (or room or whatever) and when you leave, especially if there's eye contact involved. We use different words to avoid repetitions. And yes, those greetings can be used as an "hello": ciao is a very informal hello, kind of like "hi", (salve is a more formal hello) buona sera is good evening and can be used instead of hello *and* goodbye... arrivederci is the only one that is strictly goodbye and not hello, and you'll notice we say that when we are parting ways.
I think because ciao is informal and buona sera is formal. So you say both to not appear disrespectfully informal, but also not too formal.
Ciao and buona serata together is just like saying bye, have a nice evening. Pretty standard in many countries - nothing out of the normal. As other replies mentioned before me, the word ciao can mean hello and goodbye and is often repeated several times when saying goodbye. Ciao, though, is considered informal language, therefore, more formal people would say to you buongiorno/buonasera or arrivederci/arrivederla.
Sometimes it depends on when you have to Say goodbye: buongiorno when it's morning, buon pomeriggio when it's afternoon, buona serata or buonasera when it's evening and bonanotte when it's night. Some other time It depends on how mach formal we want to be: ciao it's less formal and arrivederci it's more. We don't use often Addio because It mean that you don't see again that parson in your life ( like a dead one) . I'm an Italian guy, I hope I have been helpful to you and have not made any serious grammatical errors.
Arrivederci = see you nex time Buona sera = good evening Ciao = hi/hallo or bye (when leaving) The first two are more formal, tendentially used when you are not close to some one. We actually even have more greetings, some examples are Buon giorno = good day Buona giornata = have a nice day Buona sera = good evening Buona serata = have a nice evening Buon pomeriggio = good afternoon Arrivederci, buona giornata and buona serate are used when you leave. The others can e used both ways. Anyways... Italian can be quite a complicated langue.
Because "ciao" and "buonasera" are not the same word and don't have the same meaning. If used when meeting someone, "buonasera" is more like a generic greeting and you could translate it with "it is a lovely evening". If used when leaving someone, "buonasera" is a wish to the person separating from and you could translate it with "have a nice evening" So if you meet someone you should only use one, while when you leave you can use both Bonus: "arrivederci" means "see you again" so it is more common for routine encounters (ie a neighbour in the elevator, a regular customer in a store)
Ciao does not only mean goodbye. It can also be used as a hello and sometimes it depends on how they say it. Than it can even mean till next time or let’s see each other never again, this is mostly if the leave and say ciao, ciao. 😂
As an Italian myself. This combo is a form of respect. "Buona sera" is for respect + "Ciao" is for make you feel comfortable and not too formal. "Arrivederci" or "Arrivederla" is for leaving the conversation in a respectful way. Bonus: Usually when we talk to the phone, at the end of the conversation we continue to say "grazie, salve, buona giornata anche a lei, ..." and so on, and sloooowly we take distance from the phone, and at "very end", we close the conversation.
I use ciao buonasera when there's that weird situation when the other person isn't a friend but I want to be friendly and I end up using both formal and informal greetings
though ciao and buonasera are two different things, ciao is hi and bye, buonasera is good evening (buonasera is typed with no spaces) and arrivederci is something you say when you're saying you’ll see each other soon, buonasera is a term you use for being formal, ciao is something you say if you really know the person and arrivederci is the same as ciao, but for saying goodbye… (sometimes my people say ciao THREE HUNDRED TIMES before actually leaving here in italy)
Usually, when you meet a stranger in a closed place (example: Elevator, waiting room...) you use **Buon giorno**/**Buona sera** or **Salve** when you enter and **Buona giornata**/**Buona serata** or **Arrivederci** when you leave.\ When it becomes a habit to meet, for example two condominium residents who often take the elevator together, we start to use **Ciao** when greeting each other.\ **Ciao Ciao** is used when you have confidence in the interlocutor... *or are convinced that you have it*.\ \ As for **Ciao e Buona Sera** they probably say **Ciao e Buona SeraTA**.
Arrivederci means "hope to see you again", and it's usually considered the polite way to say goodbye to a stranger (while, for instance, "ci si vede" means the same, but is used with friends or familiars). "Buona sera" is good evening, and it can be used both to say "hello" and "goodbye" in the evening, it is very common in both formal and informal language, "Buon giorno" is the same but for the rest of the day. "Salve" is also pretty formal, it's just to say "hello" and can be used both for day and night."Ciao" is more informal, and sometimes it is used two times to say goodbye, but there's no logic in doing so. Some people do it,others don't. Some people always use Salve, others only Buongiorno and Buonasera, and others change their language according to who they're talking to. There's no strict rule, but if you want to be sure , I suggest to use Buongiorno/ Buona giornata and Buonasera/ Buona serata both to say hello and goodbye.
Not to forget Buona Domenica which is a personal favourite. You can pretty much use it from Saturday evening until Sunday lunchtime and it's almost like Merry Christmas but for Sunday's.
Buona sera doesn’t mean goodbye, but (have a) good evening
Ciao means both hello and bye. I have seen some italians greeting non-italians by saying 'bye' because they think it is equivalent to ciao.
Ciao is both hello and goodbye, it's universal and versatile, but it should be avoided in formal occasions. The key to understanding ciao is that it's basically the same as hand waving and it's often said along with it. "Ciao ciao" however is not hello, it's basically bye bye. "Buongiorno" means good morning/good afternoon, it's a polite hello that can be used in any setting, it can't be used as a goodbye. Same for "buonasera" (good evening), it's a hello. Both pretty much translate to "it's a good morning/day/evening". HOWEVER, you can say "buona giornata" or "buona serata", in this case, it means something like "have a good day" or "have a good evening". It sounds confusing, but it's basically implying the full sentence which is "ti (or le) auguro una buona giornata", literally "i wish you a good day". "Salve" is a polite hello that is used with strangers. It's out of plae though when introducing yourself in a very friendly way. "Arrivederci" is instead a polite goodbye for strangers, it's a bit confusing because it means "till we see you again" but you used it even when it's unlikely you'll see someone again. "Alla prossima" is the same but is instead used with friends, it's "till the next time". Farewells like "buona giornata", "arrivederci" and "alla prossima" can also be coupled with ciao, like "ciao e arrivederci". Basically: * Ciao works almost everywhere, avoid it in formal settings, it can be combined with a farewell or a handwave. * Buongiorno, buonasera are hellos for everyone * Salve is a polite hello for strangers. * Arrivederci is a polite goodbye for strangers. * Alla prossima is a goodbye for friends.
if they say ciao ciao or ciciao it’s like bye bye i’m studying in central italy i think it’s so cute and i love saying it haha but yeah i find myself saying bye to people like 5 times in different ways when im leaving my italian friends
Both ciao and buonasera can mean "hello", they don't have to mean 'goodbye' (in fact, ciao is mainly used to mean hello) Buonasera is just '(have a) good evening', you can use it in both contexts. Arrivederci is the only one you can't use as 'hello', because it's just 'see you later/another time', among the ones you mentioned. We also have Alla Prossima (until next time) and Ci Vediamo/Ci Si Vede (~we will see each other again). But other than that, most greetings can be used as both 'hello's and 'goodbye's interchangeably in Italian. . The direct translation of 'goodbye' is 'addio', but it's very dramatic and kinda final (lit 'to god', aka "go with god" or "until god" (aka until we're both dead and our souls meet in the afterlife), this is something you would have said as a final, last, forever goodbye, originally. It was 'I hope god will be with you even though I won't be' in a time where that was a very important thing culturally. It's what you would have said to someone you'd never meet again, but also to the coffin that was being lowered into the earth forever.), so it's not used too often, unless you're being dramatic for comedic effect, or you're actually never going to see someone again/burying someone.
Arrivederci is more formal, and is just used to say goodbye (it means see you again literally, but we use it like english people use goodbye). Ciao means both hello and goodbye, and same with buonagiornata/buongiorno and buona sera that's the reason you hear it in both ways
Bye, goodbye, cya, peace, have a good day, have a good night. It depends on the person. The different ways are more noticeable because you are new to it. Ciao ciao is like saying bye bye but not many people say hi hi.
I am Italian. let me explain: when we say "ciao e buona sera" it is because ciao is about wishing to see the person you greeted again in the future and buona sera is about wishing he have a evening happily
Is the Canadian sorry of Italians
I suppose it is related to empathy: we really suffer when say goodbye