👨🏫 Benvenuti! Welcome to Your First Italian Lesson
Ciao! I’m Sofia from Roma. Today we’ll learn the most important phrases you need to be polite and make a great first impression in Italy. These greetings will open doors and hearts wherever you go!
💡 Tip: Click the 🔊 buttons to hear perfect Italian pronunciation and practice along!
👋 Essential Greetings
Ciao!
[CHAH-oh]
Hello! / Bye! (informal)
💡 Use with friends, family, and people your age
Buongiorno!
[bwohn-JOHR-noh]
Good morning! (until 1 PM)
💡 Perfect for formal situations and with strangers
Buon pomeriggio!
[bwohn poh-meh-REE-joh]
Good afternoon! (1 PM – 6 PM)
💡 Less common than buongiorno, but very polite
Buonasera!
[bwoh-nah-SEH-rah]
Good evening! (after 6 PM)
💡 Also used as a greeting when arriving somewhere in the evening
🤝 How Are You? – Starting Conversations
Come stai?
[KOH-meh stah-ee]
How are you? (informal)
💡 Use with friends, family, and people you know well
Come sta?
[KOH-meh stah]
How are you? (formal)
💡 Use with older people, strangers, and in professional settings
Bene, grazie. E tu?
[BEH-neh GRAH-tsee-eh eh too]
Fine, thank you. And you? (informal)
💡 Perfect response to “Come stai?”
Bene, grazie. E Lei?
[BEH-neh GRAH-tsee-eh eh lay]
Fine, thank you. And you? (formal)
💡 Perfect response to “Come sta?” – notice the capital “L” in “Lei”
🙏 Magic Words – Please, Thank You, Excuse Me
Per favore
[pehr fah-VOH-reh]
Please
💡 The most common way to say please in Italian
Grazie
[GRAH-tsee-eh]
Thank you
💡 Essential word – use it often!
Per piacere
[pehr pee-ah-CHEH-reh]
Please (more formal)
💡 A more elegant way to say please
Grazie
[GRAH-tsee-eh]
Thank you
💡 Essential word – use it often!
Grazie mille!
[GRAH-tsee-eh MEEL-leh]
Thank you very much! (literally: a thousand thanks)
💡 Shows extra gratitude and appreciation
Prego
[PREH-goh]
You’re welcome / Here you go / After you
💡 Versatile word – response to “grazie” or when offering something
Scusi
[SKOO-zee]
Excuse me (formal)
💡 Use to get attention or when you need to apologize
Scusa
[SKOO-zah]
Excuse me / Sorry (informal)
💡 Use with friends and people you know well
👋 Saying Goodbye
Arrivederci!
[ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee]
Goodbye!
💡 The most common formal goodbye
ArrivederLa!
[ah-ree-veh-DEHR-lah]
Goodbye! (very formal)
💡 Use with very important people
A presto!
[ah PREH-stoh]
See you soon!
💡 Use when you know you’ll see the person again soon
Buonanotte!
[bwoh-nah-NOHT-teh]
Good night!
💡 Use when leaving late in the evening or going to bed
🇮🇹 Cultural Tip: The Importance of Greetings in Italy
In Italy, greetings are very important! Italians always greet people when entering shops, elevators, or waiting rooms. It’s considered rude not to say “Buongiorno” when you enter a store, even if you don’t know anyone.
Fun Fact: Italian has two words for “you” – “tu” (informal) and “Lei” (formal with capital L). When in doubt, use the formal “Lei” until the person tells you to use “tu”!
🎯 Quick Practice Challenge
Scenario: You enter a Italian café in the morning. Practice this conversation:
You:“Buongiorno!”
Barista: “Buongiorno! Come sta?”
You:“Bene, grazie. E Lei?”
Barista: “Bene, grazie. Cosa desidera?” (What would you like?)
You:“Un caffè, per favore.”
Barista: “Prego!”
You:“Grazie mille!”
🎉 Lesson Complete! Lezione Completata!
Ottimo lavoro! (Great work!) You now know the essential greetings to make a fantastic first impression in Italy.
Practice these phrases daily, and you’ll sound like a natural! In the next lesson, we’ll learn numbers 1-20.
