10K+ students - 4.8/5
Learn with a teacher Learning materials included Practise conversation
Next
This lesson introduces essential Italian greetings like "Ciao" and "Buongiorno" and farewells such as "Arrivederci" and "A domani," while practicing personal pronouns (io, tu, lei) and polite expressions for everyday conversations.

Vocabulary (13)

Ciao: hello (Italian)

Ciao

Show

Hello Show

Buongiorno: Good morning (Italian)

Buongiorno

Show

Good morning Show

Buon pomeriggio: Good afternoon (Italian)

Buon pomeriggio

Show

Good afternoon Show

Buonasera: Good evening (Italian)

Buonasera

Show

Good evening Show

Buonanotte: Good night (Italian)

Buonanotte

Show

Good night Show

Come stai?: How are you? (Italian)

Come stai?

Show

How are you? Show

Arrivederci: Goodbye (Italian)

Arrivederci

Show

Goodbye Show

Ci vediamo: See you (Italian)

Ci vediamo

Show

See you Show

A domani: See you tomorrow (Italian)

A domani

Show

See you tomorrow Show

Buona giornata: Have a good day (Italian)

Buona giornata

Show

Have a good day Show

Grazie: Thank you (Italian)

Grazie

Show

Thank you Show

Essere (to be) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Essere

Show

To be Show

Avere (to have) - Verb conjugation and exercises

Avere

Show

To have Show

Exercises

These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.

Exercise 1: Reorder sentences

Instruction: Make correct sentences and translate.

Show answers
1.
come | stai? | Ciao,
Ciao, come stai?
(Hello, how are you?)
2.
sono | Buongiorno, | Maria. | io
Buongiorno, io sono Maria.
(Good morning, I am Maria.)
3.
domanda? | una | Hai
Hai una domanda?
(Do you have a question?)
4.
domani! | a | Arrivederci,
Arrivederci, a domani!
(Goodbye, see you tomorrow!)
5.
siamo | Noi | pronti | lezione. | per | la
Noi siamo pronti per la lezione.
(We are ready for the lesson.)
6.
ripetere, | favore? | può | Lei | per
Lei può ripetere, per favore?
(Can you repeat, please?)

Exercise 2: Match a word

Instruction: Match the translations

Ciao, come stai? (Hello, how are you?)
Buona giornata! (Have a good day!)
Lei è la nostra insegnante. (She is our teacher.)
Arrivederci! (Goodbye!)

Exercise 3: Cluster the words

Instruction: Classify these words into two groups: greetings to start a conversation and phrases to say goodbye, to help you remember them more easily.

Saluti per iniziare una conversazione

Frasi per congedarsi

Exercise 4: Translate and use in a sentence

Instruction: Pick a word, translated and use the word in a sentence or dialogue.

1

Come stai?

How are you?

2

Buongiorno

Good morning

3

Buon pomeriggio

Good afternoon

4

Avere

To have

5

A domani

See you tomorrow

Esercizio 5: Conversation exercise

Istruzione:

  1. Use the correct greeting in each situation and start a small talk. (Use the correct greeting in each situation and start a small talk.)

Teaching guidelines +/- 10 minutes

A1.1: Greetings and Farewells

Example phrases:

Buongiorno!

Good morning!

Buon pomeriggio!

Good afternoon!

Buonasera!

Good evening!

Come stai?

How are you?

Bene. E tu?

Fine. And you?

A dopo!

See you later!

Scusa, puoi ripetere per favore?

Sorry, can you repeat, please?

Non capisco.

I don’t understand.

Potresti fare lo spelling?

Could you spell that?

Piacere di conoscerti.

Nice to meet you.

...

Exercise 6: Dialogue Cards

Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.

1

Inizio e fine di una lezione

2

Saluti al mattino in ufficio

3

Richiesta di chiarimenti in classe

Exercise 7: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Io ___ felice di conoscerti.

(I ___ happy to meet you.)

2. Tu ___ una famiglia in Italia?

(You ___ a family in Italy?)

3. Lui ___ il mio collega di lavoro.

(He ___ my work colleague.)

4. Noi ___ una lezione d'italiano ogni giorno.

(We ___ an Italian lesson every day.)

Exercise 8: Greetings and Goodbyes at Work

Instruction:

Oggi (Essere - Presente) in ufficio alle nove. La mia collega Maria (Essere - Presente) già qui e mi (Dire - Presente) : "Buongiorno! Come (Stare - Presente) ?" Io (Stare - Presente) bene e la (Ringraziare - Presente) . Durante la pausa, noi (Essere - Presente) andati al bar e abbiamo preso un caffè. Maria (Avere - Presente) una riunione importante e io (Dovere - Presente) preparare dei documenti. Prima di uscire, la saluto: "Arrivederci, a domani!" Lei mi (Rispondere - Presente) : "Buona giornata!".

Today I am in the office at nine. My colleague Maria is already here and tells me: "Good morning! How are you?" I am fine and thank her. During the break, we went to the bar and had a coffee. Maria has an important meeting and I have to prepare some documents. Before leaving, I greet her: "Goodbye, see you tomorrow!" She answers me: "Have a good day!".

Verb Tables

Essere - To be

Presente

  • io sono
  • tu sei
  • lui/lei è
  • noi siamo
  • voi siete
  • loro sono

Avere - To have

Presente

  • io ho
  • tu hai
  • lui/lei ha
  • noi abbiamo
  • voi avete
  • loro hanno

Stare - To stay

Presente

  • io sto
  • tu stai
  • lui/lei sta
  • noi stiamo
  • voi state
  • loro stanno

Dire - To say

Presente

  • io dico
  • tu dici
  • lui/lei dice
  • noi diciamo
  • voi dite
  • loro dicono

Ringraziare - To thank

Presente

  • io ringrazio
  • tu ringrazi
  • lui/lei ringrazia
  • noi ringraziamo
  • voi ringraziate
  • loro ringraziano

Rispondere - To answer

Presente

  • io rispondo
  • tu rispondi
  • lui/lei risponde
  • noi rispondiamo
  • voi rispondete
  • loro rispondono

Exercise 9: Pronomi personali

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Grammar: Personal pronouns

Show translation Show answers

Tu, Io, Loro, Voi, Lei, Lui, Noi

1.
... è mio amico.
(He is my friend.)
2.
... hai una bella voce.
(You have a beautiful voice.)
3.
... ha una penna rossa? (formale)
(Do you have a red pen? (formal))
4.
... è la mia insegnante.
(She is my teacher.)
5.
... siamo in classe adesso.
(We are in class now.)
6.
... siete pronti per la lezione?
(Are you ready for the lesson?)
7.
... sono molto stanco oggi.
(I am very tired today.)
8.
... hanno una domanda.
(They have a question.)

Grammar

It's not the most exciting thing, we admit, but it’s absolutely essential (and we promise it'll pay off)!

A1.1.1 Grammatica

Pronomi personali

Personal pronouns

Verb conjugation tables for this lesson

Essere to be

Presente

Italian English
(io) sono I am
(tu) sei You are
(lui/lei) è he/she is
(noi) siamo we are
(voi) siete You are
(loro) sono they are

Exercises and examples phrases

Avere to have

Presente

Italian English
(io) ho I have
(tu) hai You have
(lui/lei) ha he/she has
(noi) abbiamo we have
(voi) avete you have
(loro) hanno they have

Exercises and examples phrases

Don't see progress when learning on your own? Study this material with a certified teacher!

Do you want to practice Italian today? That is possible! Just contact one of our teachers today.

Enroll now!

Introduction to Greetings and Farewells in Italian

This lesson is designed for A1 level learners to master basic greetings and farewells, essential for everyday communication in Italian. You will learn to recognize and use common expressions that start and end conversations politely and naturally.

Key Vocabulary and Phrases

Starting a Conversation

  • Ciao - Hello/Hi (informal)
  • Buongiorno - Good morning
  • Buon pomeriggio - Good afternoon
  • Buonasera - Good evening
  • Come stai? - How are you? (informal)

Ending a Conversation

  • Arrivederci - Goodbye (formal or neutral)
  • A domani - See you tomorrow
  • Buonanotte - Good night

Common Dialogues For Practice

Practice typical scenarios such as starting and ending lessons formally and informally, greeting colleagues at work, and asking for clarifications politely during classes.

Sample Phrases from Dialogues

  • Buongiorno, come va? - Good morning, how’s it going?
  • Sto bene, grazie. E tu? - I’m well, thank you. And you?
  • Arrivederci e buona giornata! - Goodbye and have a good day!
  • Scusa, puoi ripetere, per favore? - Excuse me, can you repeat, please?

Verb Conjugations Highlighted in This Lesson

This lesson includes fundamental Italian verbs used frequently in greetings and everyday conversation. Focus on the present tense conjugations of:

  • Essere (to be)
  • Avere (to have)
  • Stare (to stay, to feel)
  • Dire (to say)
  • Ringraziare (to thank)
  • Rispondere (to reply)

Language Notes: Differences from English

Unlike English, Italian uses different forms of "you" (formal and informal) which affect greetings and verb conjugations. For example, Come stai? is informal, while Come sta? is formal. Also, in Italian, subject pronouns (io, tu, lui/lei) are often omitted because the verb conjugation already indicates the subject.

Useful phrases and their English equivalents include:

  • Ciao: informal "Hi" or "Bye"
  • Buongiorno: "Good morning" used until early afternoon
  • Arrivederci: formal or polite way to say "Goodbye"
  • A domani: "See you tomorrow," showing future plans

Mastering these expressions and understanding their correct context will help you communicate politely and confidently in Italian daily situations.

These lessons would not be possible without our amazing partners🙏

Lanzadera Marina de Empresas Google for Startups Universitat Siegen European Digital Innovation Hubs Network