In Italy, with people with whom you are not familiar or to whom you want/need to show respect, (such as a teacher, an elderly person, a senior, etc ...) a formal approach is required.

An informal approach is used with friends, relatives and young peers.
Italian language and behavior change depending on the approach.

"Ciao" (hi, hello, bye-bye) is a friendly and informal greeting, used only with friends and relatives both when meeting and leaving.

When Italian friends meet they usually say "ciao" and kiss on both cheeks. Two men may kiss, just hug or shake hands.

"Buon giorno" (good morning), "buon pomeriggio" (good afternoon - less used) and "buona sera" (good evening) are formal salutations.

"Buona notte" (good night) is friendly and informal.

"Arrivederci" (goodbye) can be formal or informal.

In general, when two friends meet they greet each other and then ask: "Come stai?" (How are you?)

or they may ask: "Come va?" (How is it going?)

The answer to "come stai?" or "come va" can be:

General rules:

Italian words end with a vowel. All vowels in a word should be clearly articulated and pronounced (as in "buonasera").

However, vowels and consonant should not be uttered by themselves but they should be pronounced as a whole musical flow (as in "ciao").

Most Italian words are stressed on the next-to-last syllable (as in "arrivederci"). Also, double consonants are always pronounced (as in "arrivederci").
To pronounce a double consonant, just hold the breath for a fraction of a second.

In a sentence the pitch of the voice drops at the end of the sentence (as in "Pinocchio è italiano" - Pinocchio is Italian).

A question is expressed with a rising intonation: "Pinocchio è italiano?" - Is Pinocchio Italian?

Listen to one of the greatest Italian singers, Domenico Modugno, singing "Ciao, ciao bambina, un bacio ancora..." (Ciao ciao baby, one more kiss...) from the beginning of the song "Piove". Listen how clearly he pronounces the word "ciao".

In a formal situation Italians usually introduce themselves by first name, last name and a handshake.
In a friendly and informal situation they usually introduce themselves only by first name.

When introducing yourself you can use the expression "mi chiamo" (my name is) or "sono" (I am).

"Mi chiamo" answers the question: "come ti chiami?" (what is your name?)

The expression "piacere" (pleasure, nice to meet you) usually completes an introduction.

Introduction of some Italian famous people:

The words "io" and "tu" are "subject pronouns" and correspond to the English "I" and "you" (singular).

Remember that "tu" is informal and ought to be used only with friends, relatives or people with whom you are well acquainted.

In formal situations, with people with whom you are not well acquainted or people to whom you want/need to show respect, (like a teacher, an elderly person, a senior, etc...) the correct form to use is "Lei".

"Chi sei tu?" (Who are you? informal. Used with friends, relatives and young peers)

"Chi è Lei?" (Who are you? formal. Literally: Who is She? used with someone -either a man or a woman- with whom you are not acquainted or to whom you want/need to show respect)

The words "sono" and "sei" are forms of the verb To Be (Present Indicative).

It is important to use verb conjugations correctly; therefore, you may want to consider practicing the present conjugation of the verb "essere" in the Exercise section.

Also, remember that the infinitive form ("essere" = to be) is the form used to show verbs in our glossary and in dictionaries. It is up to you to conjugate the verbs and change them from the infinitive form to the present, past or future...