Buongiorno is a great all-round greeting and is perfect for use in formal or informal situations. It’s also very useful for when you are trying to make a good impression on someone you meet, such as an employer or new acquaintance.

Unlike ciao, which should only be used between friends, buongiorno can be used with strangers and is suitable for any time of day. It’s important to remember, however, that different times of the day have specific greetings and that you should switch to the appropriate one as the day progresses.

In the morning you can say buongiorno and, as the day moves on, you should switch to either buon pomeriggio or Buonanotte, depending on the time of the day. Buon pomeriggio is the standard greeting until after lunch, while buonasera can be used from about 2 or 3 pm onwards. Then, once it’s dark outside, you should switch to buona notte.

If you are talking to a person of importance, such as an employer or your teacher, it’s polite to use more formal greetings. In this case, you should say buon giorno, followed by their surname (if known). For example, “Buongiorno, Signore Rossi” to a woman or “Buongiorno, Signore Ferrari” to a man. It’s worth noting that in Italy, it’s customary to greet people using their first name rather than their surname.

Another way to show respect is by asking how they are, which can be done by saying Come stai? or, if you have already met them, by saying Felice di vederti. Remember to use the formal pronoun signore or signora when addressing a stranger and mi scusi or mi scusa if you are apologising.

Finally, remember to use Rocket Record to practice your Italian pronunciation. This free app allows you to listen to native speaker audio and then record yourself so that you can hear how well you are doing! Click here to try it out for yourself!

Want to learn more about Italian? Check out our other articles, such as this article on pronouncing hello in Italian. Or, if you’re ready to take your Italian to the next level, then why not try our Rocket Italian Premium subscription? With our expert teachers and a range of learning activities, you can be speaking Italian in no time at all!

This article was originally published in February 2019 and has since been updated. It is not to be considered an exhaustive list and may have out-of-date information or be missing details.

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