Italian greetings: all you need to know. Are you confused about Italian greetings? In this article, I will clear your doubts and I will show you how to sound more natural with your teacher and friends! Buongiorno or ciao? The first thing all students learn in their first class is that “Buongiorno/Buonasera” is formal and "ciao" is an informal greeting. Well, that’s true, but it doesn’t mean that you will seem too formal if you say "buongiorno" to your friend. So, how do people greet each other? Obviously, in a formal context or when we speak to someone we don’t know, we say “buongiorno/buonasera”. In this case, the answer will be the same: 🔸Buonasera, dottore. 🔹Buonasera. But with your friends you can use both expressions casually. They can answer with “ciao” as well: 🔸Buongiorno, ragazzi! 🔹Ciao, Mario! When you leave, the answers to "buongiorno/ciao" may vary. Usually, the expression “arrivederci” is formal and we don’t use it with friends. It would sound very weird and fun! Instead of “arrivederci”, you can say “a domani” or “a lunedì/martedì…” if you have an appointment, or ‘a presto’ which means ‘see you soon’. These expressions are not informal, and you can use them at the end of a conversation. If you’re chatting with someone with whom you have an appointment right after, you can use the expression “a dopo” that means “see you later”. 🔸A domani - a lunedì see you tomorrow/see you on Monday 🔸Alla prossima - see you next time/class Other expressions you can use when leaving are ‘buona giornata (have a nice day) and ‘buona serata for the evening. This is a nice way to greet someone when you leave, and everyone is happy to hear it!😊 You can also say ‘buon fine settimana’ when the weekend is approaching. If your teacher uses one of these expressions at the end of your class, the best way to answer is ‘Grazie, anche a te!’ as you’re wishing the same to him/her. I hope you'll try the phrases you learned today! Thank you for reading! 😁