Thinking better: salutare_g and salutare_c are actually the same thing in different contexts: The origin is that the Ancient Romans were kind enough to wish 'good health' in the context of leaving each other, so this wish is the prototype of many forms for 'good-bye' in Italian; this common meaning is seldom remembered but there it is, originated by the very same people who built the Colosseum for not very kind affairs. The Chinese have a similar expression (ni3hao3) but in the context of 'hello'.

To say hello to someone = salutare qualcuno Can you say hello to Mike from me? = Puoi salutarmi Mike?/salutami Mike/Mi saluti Mike (formal) Greetings from Italy= Saluti dall'Italia Greetings to Jeff= Salutami Jeff /Saluti a Jeff Please, send my greetings to Jeff = per favore, manda i miei saluti a Jeff/salutami Jeff/ mi saluti Jeff(formal) Per concludere Salute (non salutare) = cheers Prima di bere con alcuni amici, dirai: SALUTE!! It does not have anything to do with salutare Salute means health in this case, it is related to health and not with salutare I care about my health = Ci tengo alla mia salute Spero che sia d'aiuto!

When you drink, i know the word ''BRINDISI'' or ''CIN-CIN'', it's very few used ''Salutare'' in that situation, i never listened ''salutare'' there.. Instead, ''Salutare'' is important all above when you write a message or letter, because you must put ''Saluti'' at the end. Anyway, when you meet a friend, you can tell him ''ciao, ciao'', i think that ''ti saluto'' or ''saluti'' is more formal.

Hi Juha, in the situation where you ask to someone to greet (verb "salutare") someone else for you, you can say: - Salutami Jeff!; Salutami Anna!; Salutami tua mamma!; Salutami i ragazzi!; Salutami le bimbe! - Saluta Jeff da parte mia!; Saluta Michela da parte mia! or you can also say: - Mi saluti Jeff?; Mi saluti i ragazzi? But the other way is more common. The adjective "salutare" means that something "is good for your health" - mangiare frutta e verdura è salutare. - una bella passeggiata è salutare. - è salutare mangiare pochi dolci. The meaning of "cheers" is different from the meaning of "salutare". When you celebrate something with a toast, in Italian you say "Salute!" or "Alla salute!" because you want to wish good things to somebody. You also say "Salute!" when you hear someone sneezing. In this case you are wishing him/her health.

Juha, please don't worry if your question is not new. The answer will anyway be new (not necessarily better ...) !, although in this case not really complete, due to my work load. Let me use my notation: salutare_g : meaning in the context of /greetings/ salutare_c : meaning in the context of /cheers/ You use 'salutare_g' usually in indirect speech, like: e1. salutami tuo marito. (greetings to your husband, say hello to your husband) in direct speech it is usually restricted to exactly these expressions: e2. ti saluto (plural: vi saluto) e3. la saluto (plural: vi saluto) When to use the previous examples? (e1) is used when saying goodbye or more or less when the conversation is finishing. (e2) and (e3) are used as 'good-bye', and sometimes are used to abruptly close a conversation in order not to be overwhelmed by some feeling like anger or sadness, or to avoid a possible verbal or non-verbal fight. other common and 'mood-neutral' expressions are: e4. ho fretta, scusate, vi saluto. e5. {vado a salutare tutti, saluto tutti} e vado via. (suppose you are at a party) In the old-fashioned postcards, there used to be a line such as: e6. affettuosi saluti, e7. cari saluti, (In case you are too young and don't know what is /una cartolina/ just make a new question :) ) Regarding /salutare_c/, the common expressions are actually linked to the noun /salute/. suppose you are drinking with someone who just recovered from an illness: e8.1 alla tua salute. Typical reply: e8.2 ... e alla tua! e9.1 salute! (cheers) literally: let's drink for your good health! (let's drink is not expressed) e9.2 ... salute! adesso devo proprio andare, ti devo salutare, ciao! (here: proprio = really)