Photo by Weichao Deng on Unsplash

With the Italian word ciao in almost universal use as a friendly greeting, it is tempting to use it in Italy with almost everyne you meet: passing acquaintances, business people, bureaucrats; ticket collectors, waiters, shopkeepers; butchers, bakers , makers of candlesticks … in fact il vecchio zio Tom Cobley e tutto il resto. This would be a mistake! …And lead to at least raised eyebrows and possibly hurt feelings, In the early days of any social relationship a warm buongiorno is infinitely preferable to a cheery ciao.

Start with a polite buongiorno before moving on to an intimate ciao

Strictly speaking, buongiorno mean good day (0r good morning) but it is normally translated as ‘hello.’ Ciao, on the other hand, maybe translated as the English or American casual ‘Hi’ or the even more American ‘Hey’, which shows that you have met before. They are friends, colleagues or other people you know well.

While it might be acceptable in America (less so in Britain) to say ‘Hi’ to a sales assistant, it is considered somewhat impolite to do so in Italy. The more sensitive Italians may wince, (but they’ll probably say nothing.) Buongiorno is what is needed here. And it will do no harm to add a few ‘grace notes‘  to your greeting:  “Buongiorno signora (or signorina). Vorrei (I would like)…. per favore. Add a smile and you will get one back – and great service.

Want to improve your Italian conversation skills? We offer an immersive Italian language course at the Watermill! Find more information here.