1. BENVENUTI!
Greeting forms - Forme di salutoItalian alphabet * spelling
Contenuto prima unità - Lesson 1 Conten
In this lesson, you will learn:
How to greet others
The Italian alphabet and spelling
Argomento – Topic
Greeting forms
Forme di saluto
Grammatica – Grammar
Italian alphabet * spelling
alfabeto italiano * compitazione
Video - Video
Here will be a video… 🙂
Paper version on Amazon / Lesson 1
Lesson 1 is also available in paper format —
grab your copy on Amazon.
Come si salutano? - How do they greet each other?
When we arrive in a foreign country, the first thing that’s good to know is how to greet people!
You probably already know some Italian greetings. Let’s complete your knowledge with a few more!
Jó reggelt!-There isn't
Good morning! / Good day!
There is no exact equivalent
of Good morning! in Italian.
Even in the morning,
they use Buon giorno!
to greet each other.
Buongiorno!-Good day!
Used both when meeting
and saying goodbye
throughout the day.
(It can be written
as one word or separately.)
Ciao!-Hi! Hello!
Informal!
Well, you probably know this!
When meeting and
when saying goodbye
to the person you are dating.
Buona giornata!-Have a nice day!
Used when saying goodbye
in the first half of the day.
It carries a sense of formality and expresses a wish for an enjoyable activity (work, leisure, etc.).
Buonasera!-Good evening!
Used both when meeting
and saying goodbye.
The exact time it is used
varies by region.
(It can be written
as one word or separately.)
Buona serata!-Have a nice evening!
formal and informal.
Used when saying goodbye,
wishing someone an enjoyable time (activity, work, etc.).
Buon pomeriggio!- Good afternoon!
Used both when meeting and saying goodbye
in the afternoon.
Mostly heard on TV;
in everyday speech,
Buonasera is preferred.
Arrivederci! / ArrivederLa!-Goodbye!
Arrivederci
could be translated as
We may see each other again!
ArrivederLa is a
more respectful version,
used when
addressing someone formally.
A giovedì!-See you on Thursday!
Used when greeting
someone you will see
on Thursday. Logical…
They have a variation
for every day of the week.
A domani!-See you tomorrow!
Used when saying goodbye
to someone you will see
the next day.
Salve!-Greetings! / Hello!
someone you
address formally,
but it can also be
a neutral solution
if you’re unsure
whether to use
formal or informal speech or
which time-of-day greeting to use.
Salute!-Stay healthy! / Bless you! / Chin-chin!
to greet each other.
Also used when toasting
or when someone sneezes.
Buonanotte!-Good night!
Used at night when
saying goodbye
or when someone
is going to sleep.
(It can be written
as one word or separately.)
Benvenuto!-Welcome!
Both formal and informal.
Used to greet someone
arriving as a guest or
returning from
a long journey.
It agrees with the subject
in gender and number.
A presto!-See you soon!
Used when saying goodbye
to someone
you want to see
again soon.
Buon viaggio!-Have a good trip!
Both formal and informal.
Used when saying goodbye
to someone who is traveling.
Bentornato!-Welcome back!
Both formal and informal.
Used to greet someone
returning from a trip.
It agrees in gender and
number with the subject!
Bentrovato!-Glad to see you here!
Both formal and informal.
Used as a response to
Bentornato! by the person
returning from a trip.
It agrees in gender and
number with the subject!
Sogni d'oro!-Sweet dreams!
Informal.
Used to wish someone
a peaceful and restful sleep.
„Oro” means gold.
Buona permanenza!-Enjoy your stay!
Used to wish a pleasant stay
to someone arriving
at a vacation spot.
Buon divertimento!-Have fun!
Both formal and informal.
Used when someone is about
to start an enjoyable activity.
Ci vediamo!-See you again!
Used when
saying goodbye
to someone
you will see soon.
A più tardi! A dopo!- See you later! / See you after!
Used when
saying goodbye
to someone
you will see later.
Addio!-Farewell!
Used when saying goodbye
to someone you will not see
for a long time
(or never again).
Use it carefully!
It can offend the person
you say it to.
Benvenuto/a! – Welcome!
Now you will listen to 12 dialogues featuring the greetings you just learned.
First, listen to the dialogues without looking at the text and try to identify which greetings are used!
Then, read the text while listening!
and stress, which
I have marked
in bold and underlined letters
for multi-syllable words!
In Italian, words are usually
stressed on the
second-to-last syllable.
We will learn more about
word stress in Lesson 4.
You will find the translation
next to each dialogue!
First, listen, then, read!
– A più tardi, caro!
– A presto, Stefania!
Stefania says to Giuseppe:
– See you later, dear!
– See you soon, Stefania!
First, listen, then, read!
Due colleghi per strada:
– Francesco, buona sera!
– A lunedì, Giacomo!
Two colleagues on the street:
– Francesco, good evening!
– See you on Monday, Giacomo!
First, listen, then, read!
Due amiche:
– Stefania, buona notte!
– Buona notte! Ci vediamo domani!
Two friends:
– Stefania, good night!
– Good night! See you tomorrow!
First, listen, then, read!
Il signor Blasi saluta il dottore:
– Buongiorno, dottor Romanello!
– Salute, signor Blasi! – risponde il dottore.
Mr. Blasi greets the doctor:
– Good day, Dr. Romanello!
– Stay healthy, Mr. Blasi! – replies the doctor.
First, listen, then, read!
– ArrivederLa, professore!
– Arrivederci, Giovanni!
After class, Giovanni greets the professor:
– Goodbye, Professor!
– Goodbye, Giovanni!
First, listen, then, read!
– A presto, ci vediamo domani mattina!
– A domani!
At the office, a colleague says to another:
– See you soon, see you again tomorrow morning!
– See you tomorrow!
First, listen, then, read!
– Buon pomeriggio, cari telespettatori!
The TV presenter greets the audience:
– Good afternoon, dear viewers!
First, listen, then, read!
– Carissima, buona sera!
– Benvenuti! Entrate pure! – risponde Roberta.
Guests greet Roberta as she opens the door:
– Good evening, dear!
– Welcome! Come on in! – replies Roberta.
First, listen, then, read!
– Bentornata a Roma!
– Bentrovata, Paola! – dice l’amica.
Paola welcomes her Hungarian friend at Termini station:
– Welcome to Rome!
– Glad to see you here, Paola! – says the friend.
First, listen, then, read!
– Buona serata, Claudia!
– Buona notte, papà!
At the moment of farewell:
– Have a nice evening, Claudia!
– Good night, Dad!
First, listen, then, read!
– Addio, amico! Mi manchi già!
– Addio, Franco! Buon viaggio!
The final scene of a movie:
– Farewell, my friend! I already miss you!
– Farewell, Franco! Have a good trip!
First, listen, then, read!
– Buona notte, mamma!
– Sogni d’oro figliuola!
Giovanna says to her mother:
– Good night, Mom!
– Sweet dreams, my dear!
Formale o informale? - Formal or Informal?
As you can see, Italians have a colorful range of greetings. Some of these are formal, while others are friendly.
Listen and repeat to remember them and practice your pronunciation!
Formal
Buon pomeriggio!
Buona sera!
Buona notte!
Arrivederci!/ArrivederLa!
Salve!
Salute!
Informal
Sogni d’oro!
Buondì!
Formal and informal
Ci vediamo!
A presto!
A piú tardi!
A dopo!
A domani!
A lunedì!
A giovedì!
Benvenuto/a/i/e!
Bentornato/a/i/e!
Bentrovato/a/i/e!
Buona permanenza!
Buon divertimento!
Addio!
Quale senti? - Which One Do You Hear?
Listen to the dialogues
and mark which greeting you hear!
More than one answer may be correct!
When you’re ready,
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
When you’re ready,
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
When you’re ready,
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
When you’re ready,
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Which one do you hear?
click the Kész! (Done!) button!
Buona serata! - Have a nice evening!
And now,
learn the greetings
with audio flashcards!
Click the
GO TO QUIZLET! button
to access the Quizlet page!
Sign up if you haven’t already,
then click on FLASHCARDS!
Use the OPTION button
in the top right corner to set:
ANSWER: WITH ITALIAN
AUDIO / TEXT TO SPEECH:
ON (turn the button blue!)
Say or write
the Italian equivalent
of the given greeting!
Scrivi il corrispondente italiano - Write the Italian equivalent!
Enter the
Italian equivalent
of the given greeting
in the empty field!
L'alfabeto italiano - The Italian Alphabet
The original Italian alphabet
consisted of 21 letters:
5 vowels -> a, e, i, o, u
16 consonants ->
b, c, d, f, g, h (silent), l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, z
However,
some foreign words
introduced the letters
j, k, w, x, and y
into the Italian dictionary
because Italians adopted
the original spelling of these words.
For example:
jazz, watt, kantiano, xenofobia, yen
These letters were not
originally needed,
as Italian already had
equivalent sounds.
For instance, the word yog(h)urt
is written iogurt in Italian
because the letter i
functions as a semi-vowel,
sometimes acting as a vowel (i),
sometimes as a consonant (j).
When placed next to a vowel,
it is pronounced as j.
Since these five letters (j, k, w, x, y)
have been incorporated
into Italian dictionaries,
it is useful to learn the alphabet
with them included.
This way, when looking up
words in a dictionary,
you can find them easily.
Now, let’s learn the Italian alphabet!
The pronunciation of the trickier letters
is highlighted in color.
Listen and repeat!!
La pronuncia dell'alfabeto - Pronunciation guide
A, a – /a/
B, b – /ˈbi/
C, c – /ˈtʃi/
D, d – /ˈdi/
E, e – /e/ or /ɛ/
F, f – /ˈɛffe/
G, g – /ˈdʒi/
H, h – /ˈakka/
I, i – /i/
J, j – /ˈi ˈluŋɡa/
K, k – /ˈkappa/
L, l – /ˈɛlle/
M, m – /ˈɛmme/
N, n – /ˈɛnne/
O, o – /o/ or /ɔ/
P, p – /ˈpi/
Q, q – /ˈku/
R, r – /ˈɛrre/
S, s – /ˈɛsse/
T, t – /ˈti/
U, u – /u/
V, v – /ˈvu/ or /ˈvi/
W, w – /ˈvu ˈdoppja/ or /ˈdoppja ˈvu/
X, x – /ˈiks/ or /ˈitʃs/
Y, y – /ˈipsilon/ or /ˈi ˈɡrɛka/
Z, z – /ˈdzɛta/
Metti in ordine alfabetico le lettere! - Put in Alphabetical Order!
Drag the letters into alphabetical order using your cursor (or your finger on a phone)!
You’ll only find letters from the Italian alphabet here!
The five letters used in foreign words are missing.
Move from left to right!
Click the arrows in the top right corner of the yellow box to switch to full-screen mode. Click the same spot to exit.
Click the checkmark in the blue box to verify your answer.
I’ll start! A, a…! Continue with B, b!!
Completa con le lettere mancanti - Complete the missing letters!
Check what you remember!
There are missing letters in this alphabet.
Complete the table! 🙂
Compitazione - Spelling
It can be very useful for you to learn how to spell in Italian!
Sometimes,
you might not understand
an Italian word well,
such as
chincaglieria–bazaar,
or you might have a name
that Italians
don’t easily recognize,
like Iñaki Echeverría.
In such cases,
knowing how to spell
can be very usefu! 😀
When spelling,
Italians typically use
city names.
If no city name exists
for a particular letter,
they replace it with another word.
Pronto! Chi è? - Hello! Who is it?
Listen to the following dialogue!
Can you figure out the ending or the punchline?
Hello! Who is it?
– Pronto! Buon giorno.
– Buon giorno. Chi è?
– Io sono Kovács Ibolya e vorrei parlare con il signor Bianchi.
– Chi? Covoci Imola?
– No, Kovács Ibolya.
Congnome:
k come Kenya,
o come Otranto,
v come Venezia,
a come Ancona,
c come Como,
s come Savona…
nome…
– Madonna, com’è difficile!!
– !!!!!???!!! Prontooo!!!… Signora!
Una lettera, una cittá – One Letter, One City
Listen to the city names used for spelling.
One Letter, One City
b Bologna
c Como
d Domodossola
e Empoli
f Firenze
g Genova
h hotel
i Imola
k Kenya
l Livorno
m Milano
n Napoli
o Otranto
p Palermo
q Quarto
r Roma
t Torino
u Udine
v Venezia
w Washington
x xilofono
y York
z Zara
Compitiamo il nome di Sophia Loren - Let’s Spell Sophia Loren’s Name!
We spell using come or di.
come means like.
di means of.
Say it like this:
s [esse] come Savona →
[esse kóme Savona – s like Savona]
Or like this:
s [esse] di Savona →
[esse di Savona – the s of Savona]
Sophia Loren's name spelled out
nome-(first)name:
S /ˈɛsse/ come Savona
o /ɔ/ come Otranto
p /ˈpi/ come Palermo
h /ˈkappa/ come hotel
i /i/ come Imola
a /a/ come Ancona
cognome–last name:
L /ˈɛlle/ di Livorno
o /ɔ/ di Otranto
r /ˈɛrre/ di Roma
e /e/ di Empoli
n /ˈɛnne/ di Napoli
Io compito e tu scrivi! - I Spell, You Write!
Do you know
these famous Italians?
I’ll spell out the names
of five famous Italians.
Enter the letters
in the empty field,
then read the full name at the end!
Finally, click the Kész! (Done!) button
to check your answer!
You’ll also hear these terms:
maiuscola – uppercase letter
minuscola – lowercase letter
doppia – double letter
spazio – space (gap, blank space)
(leave a space there!)
accentata – accented (with a diacritical mark)
nome d’arte – stage name
Write down the letters!
Giochiamo con le lettere! - Let’s Play with Letters!
On Quizlet,
you can practice
spelling even more!
Sign up if you haven’t already,
then click on FLASHCARDS!
Use the OPTION button
in the top right corner to set:
ANSWER: WITH ITALIAN
AUDIO / TEXT TO SPEECH:
ON (turn the button blue!)
On the front side of each card,
you’ll see a letter.
Say it out loud with the city name!
This time, use come!
For example: u → u come Udine.
Compita i nomi - Spell the Names!
these famous people?
Spell their names out loud,
then spell
your own name as well!
Which one is
the odd one out? … and why?
Finally, check your answer!
1. Filippo Brunelleschi
2. Michelangelo Buonarroti
3. Franz Kafka
4. Leonardo da Vinci
5. Raffaello Sanzio
6. a te neved
Spell the Names!
La ruota della fortuna - Wheel of Fortune
La Ruota della Fortuna
Wheel of Fortune
also featured spelling
as part of the game.
Contestants had to guess
hidden words letter by letter!
The game started after
introducing the players.
Listen!