Italian · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 2
Buongiorno!Good morning!
Greetings are half of an Italian day. Today you learn the greeting clock — buongiorno, buonasera, buonanotte — and the most important pair: ciao for friends, buongiorno with people you don't know. Then the courtesy trio per favore, grazie, prego, and come stai? with its answer bene. At the bar, Mike says ciao to Marco and buongiorno to the barista.
Dialogue
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Ciao o buongiorno?— Ciao or buongiorno?
- MikeCiao, Marco!Hi, Marco!
- MarcoCiao, Mike!Hi, Mike!
- MikeScusi! Buongiorno!Excuse me! Good morning!
- BaristaBuongiorno! Prego.Good morning! What can I get you?
Dialogue
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Come stai?— How are you?
- GiuliaBuonasera, Marco! Come stai?Good evening, Marco! How are you?
- MarcoCiao, Giulia! Bene, grazie. E tu?Hi, Giulia! Fine, thanks. And you?
- GiuliaMolto bene! Ciao, a domani!Very well! Bye — see you tomorrow!
- MarcoA domani! Buonanotte!See you tomorrow! Good night!
Vocabulary
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- buonasera
inter.good evening (from late afternoon on)
- buonanotte
inter.good night (only when leaving to sleep)
- arrivederci
inter.goodbye (polite, to anyone)
- a domani
phrasesee you tomorrow
- per favore
phraseplease
- scusi / scusa
inter.excuse me (scusi to someone you don't know, scusa to a friend)
- come stai?
phrasehow are you? (fixed phrase for now — its verb comes much later)
- bene
adverbwell, fine
- molto
adverbvery, a lot
- tu
pronounyou (informal)
Grammar
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The greeting clock — and ciao versus buongiorno
Explanation
The clock: buongiorno in the morning and around lunch, buonasera from late afternoon, buonanotte ONLY when leaving to sleep — it is a farewell, not an opening greeting. Then the social rule, more important than the clock: ciao is for friends and peers; with people you don't know — at the bar, in a shop, with older people — use buongiorno or buonasera, and arrivederci to take your leave. If in your language one greeting fits everybody, this is the new habit to build: Italian always marks distance or closeness. Finally the courtesy trio: per favore to ask, grazie to thank, prego to answer grazie (and, from the barista, «what can I get you?»). And scusi/scusa: scusi to someone you don't know, scusa to a friend.
Examples
- Buongiorno! → Buonasera! → Buonanotte!Good morning! → Good evening! → Good night!
- Ciao, Marco! Buongiorno, signora!Hi, Marco! Good morning, madam!
- Per favore… Grazie! Prego!Please… Thank you! You're welcome!
- Scusi, signora! Scusa, Marco!Excuse me, madam! Excuse me, Marco!
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