Saying goodbye is no small feat at an Italian gathering. Kisses, back pats, cheek squeezes…and when all is said and done, it can take over 30 minutes to say goodbye to an intimate group of 10 people.<\/p>\n
Italian is a language of social codes and the goodbye you’ll choose will depend on your company, the context and the formality required. Check out the 12 most common ways to say goodbye in Italian, plus a huge list of different formal and informal ways to say farewell.<\/p>\n
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Ciao <\/em><\/strong>means “hello” and “goodbye” in Italian. It is an informal word<\/strong> and really should not be used with strangers<\/strong>. You can say ciao <\/em>to your friends when you leave them at a bar or to your colleagues after a long day at work.<\/p>\n When leaving a group of friends or family members, you can also say Ciao a tutti<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(Bye, everyone).<\/p>\n You can also use ciao <\/em>to end phone conversations with friends and family. For example, if you are ending a long phone call with your mother, you can say, Ciao, mamma!<\/em> (Bye, mom!).<\/p>\n Arrivederci <\/em><\/strong>literally means \u201cuntil we see each other again.\u201d<\/p>\n It can sound slightly overdramatic in casual or familial situations. However, you can use it in formal or commercial settings.<\/strong><\/p>\n For example, after finishing your espresso while standing up at an Italian bar, you can say (to nobody in particular), Grazie, arrivederci!<\/em> (Thank you, goodbye!). It is most acceptable to say this at the bar where you have your daily espresso, as it means you will see the bar staff again.<\/p>\n However, if you were to use\u00a0arrivederci<\/em> in a familial context, it would be like saying \u201cfarewell\u201d to your mother after stopping by her house to pick up some flour. Sure, it is grammatically correct, but it sounds strange in certain social situations.<\/p>\n Presto <\/em>means “soon” or “early” in Italian. When you say a presto<\/em>, it means \u201csee you soon.\u201d Italians take these salutations quite literally, so only use this phrase when you mean it.<\/strong><\/p>\n For example, upon leaving work and saying goodbye to colleagues you will see again very soon, you could say, A presto!<\/em><\/p>\n Dopo<\/em> means “after” in Italian. When saying goodbye, a dopo<\/em>\u00a0means “later” as in \u201csee you later.\u201d<\/p>\n Only use this phrase if you actually intend to see the person later<\/strong>. Otherwise, it will confuse your audience. For example, if you call a friend to confirm plans to meet later in the day, you can say A dopo<\/em>\u00a0to end your call.<\/p>\n Domani<\/em> means “tomorrow” in Italian. A domani<\/em>\u00a0is used when you are sure that you will see the other person the next day<\/strong>, like “see you tomorrow” in English.<\/p>\n For example, at work, you could say Ciao, a domani<\/em> (Bye, see you tomorrow) to your colleagues if you will see them the following day.<\/p>\n A tra poco<\/em><\/strong> means “in a bit.” It can be used fairly interchangeably with a dopo<\/em>. Perhaps you are on your cell phone, running late to meet up with your friend. You can say, Sono quasi l\u00ec\u2026 a tra poco!<\/em> (I am almost there\u2026 see you in a bit!).<\/p>\n Vedersi<\/em> in this case is a reciprocal verb. Plus, you can also simply say ci vediamo<\/em> when you are not sure when you’re going to see that person again. It can be translated as “see you around.”<\/p>\n Ci vediamo<\/em><\/strong> comes from the reciprocal verb vedersi<\/em>\u00a0(to see oneself). It literally means “we see each other” but can be translated as “see you around.” You can use it if you’re not sure when you’ll see the person again.<\/p>\n You can combine it<\/strong> with the phrases listed above to say:<\/p>\n Ci vediamo presto<\/em> (See you soon)<\/p>\n Ci vediamo dopo<\/em> (See you later)<\/p>\n Ci vediamo tra poco<\/em> (See you in a bit)<\/p>\n The meaning does not change by adding ci vediamo<\/em> in front of it.<\/p>\n This is a fairly casual<\/strong> way to conclude a conversation<\/strong> with someone you see regularly. If you have a standing weekly tennis match with a friend, you might say, Alla prossima<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>after ending your game.<\/p>\n Bravo in Italian means “good.” Fare il bravo<\/em>\u00a0is the verb phrase for “to be good.” Parents often like to tell their children (even adult children) Fai il bravo! <\/em>(Be good!) in place of a formal goodbye.<\/p>\n It is important to remember your audience when using this phrase<\/strong>. The gender of the audience determines how to use bravo<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n It would be very unusual to use this somewhat playful form of goodbye<\/strong> with a superior. It would be like telling your boss, \u201cBehave yourself\u201d as she leaves for lunch.<\/p>\n Now, here is one dramatic word. Addio<\/em>\u00a0is for serious situations<\/strong> in which you will probably never see the person to whom you are speaking again. Similar to “farewell” in English, addio<\/em> is a word that will make you sound like Scarlett O’Hara swanning around her antebellum mansion.<\/p>\n For example, if you are on a ship departing the port of Naples for the Americas, you may shout to your remaining family members, Addio, addio!<\/em> You might even wave a handkerchief for an added flourish. You can also tell them you’ll miss them<\/a>!<\/p>\n The most common way to bid a formal goodbye<\/strong> in Italian is to simply say buona giornata<\/em>, buon pomeriggio<\/em> or buona serata<\/em>.<\/p>\n The time of day is important to consider<\/strong> when selecting which salutation to use. If it is before 2:00 p.m., you can say buona giornata. <\/em>From around 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., you can say buon pomeriggio<\/em> and after 5:00 p.m. you should say buona serata<\/em>.<\/p>\n This is used in place of or in addition to arrivederci<\/em>.<\/p>\n For example, if you have bought something from the local butcher, you may say upon exiting the store, Grazie, buona giornata<\/em> (Thank you, have a nice day).<\/p>\n You may also use these phrases with your supervisor at work as she leaves for the evening, saying Arrivederci, buona serata<\/em> (Goodbye, have a good evening).<\/p>\n Buonanotte<\/em>\u00a0is used when you are ready to relax and go to sleep<\/strong>, like “goodnight” in English.<\/p>\n You may also see buonanotte<\/em> spelled as buona notte<\/em>, like “goodnight” and “good night” in English. Both spellings are accepted when they are used as a farewell, although buonanotte<\/em> is slightly more common than the latter.<\/p>\n Note that, when used as a noun instead of a farewell, e.g., dare la buonanotte<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(to say goodnight), it is always written as one word. For example: Volevo solo dare la buonanotte alla mia nonna<\/em> (I just wanted to say goodnight to my grandma).<\/p>\n Buonanotte<\/em> can also be shortened to ‘notte<\/em> like “night” in English. For example: Notte, pap\u00e0<\/em> (Goodnight, Dad).\u00a0<\/p>\n If you’re in polite company, or you’re just not sure if you’re okay to use the informal with your companions, here are some more formal ways to say goodbye in Italian.<\/p>\n When among your friends, you can fall back on these informal and slangy Italian goodbyes.<\/p>\n You don’t say the same goodbyes for a friend who’s leaving on a vacation trip as with a work friend who you’ll see tomorrow. Here are some farewells for different situations:<\/p>\nArrivederci<\/em> (Goodbye)<\/h3>\n
A presto<\/em> (See you soon)<\/h3>\n
A dopo<\/em> (Later)<\/h3>\n
A domani<\/em> (See you tomorrow)<\/h3>\n
A tra poco<\/em> (In a bit)<\/h3>\n
Ci vediamo<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>(See you)<\/h3>\n
Alla prossima <\/em>(Until next time)<\/h3>\n
Fai il bravo <\/em>(Be good)<\/h3>\n
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Addio<\/em> (Farewell)<\/h3>\n
Buona giornata<\/em> \/ Buon pomeriggio<\/em> \/ Buona serata<\/em> (Have a nice day \/ Have a good afternoon \/ Have a nice evening)<\/h3>\n
Buonanotte<\/em> (Goodnight)<\/h3>\n
Formal Ways to Say Goodbye in Italian<\/h2>\n
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Slang and Informal Ways to Say Goodbye in Italian<\/h2>\n
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Italian Farewell Phrases for Different Situations<\/h2>\n
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