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Buongiorno literally means "Good day" and is used in Italy for a great part of the day so it covers "good morning" and "good afternoon." Buongiorno is what you should use with a storekeeper, receptionist, waiter, etc. Salve is a useful option for "hello" and can be used all day with anyone, for example someone walking towards you on a hiking path.
Another word you may be familiar with is ciao! This means both "hi" and "bye" and is used among friends and with children. You wouldn't use ciao with someone you don't know.
Oh, mi scusi!
Or simply:
Scusi!
You can also use Scusi to get someone's attention, perhaps to ask the waiter for a coffee. Remember to addper favore (please).
In Italian, there are two ways of addressing someone: You should use the formal lei form with someone you don't know well or someone who is older than you. You should use the more familiar tu form when talking to a friend or a child. Michele and Giulia have only just met so they are still usinglei with each other. When he invites her for a coffee, he says:
Prendi un caff? T
Note how the verb ending is the only thing indicating which form is being used.
Prego is a useful word. As well as meaning "Not at all!" it also means "Don't mention it!" or "You're welcome!" It is the standard reply after grazie (thank you). Grazie! Prego!
Come si chiama? Usted (What's your name?) using the formallei form.
If you were using the familiar tu form, you would say:
Come ti chiami? T
Sono (I am) followed by the nationality. Giulia says sono svizzera and Michele says sono italiano.
If it were the other way round, Giulia would say sono italiana and Michele would say sono svizzero, changing the endings to match their genders - masculine and feminine. The most common masculine ending in Italian is -o, and -ais the most common feminine ending.
Here is a selection of nationalities. First the masculine and then the feminine:
americano - americana (American) australiano - australiana (Australian) italiano - italiana (Italian) spagnolo - spagnola (Spanish) svizzero - svizzera (Swiss)
Note that in Italian nationalities aren't written with a capital letter.
The -o and -a endings don't always apply. The other standard ending is -e and can be either masculine or feminine, such as inglese (English). If Michele and Giulia were both English, each would say sono inglese. The following nationalities are the same for both masculine and feminine:
canadese (Canadian) francese (French) inglese (English) cinese (Chinese) giapponese (Japanese)
To say what city or town you are from, you say Sono di ...(I'm from). Giulia says she is from Lugano - Sono di Lugano, and Michele says that he is from Genoa - Sono di Genova. Did you notice how Genoa is Genova in Italian? Most names of towns are the same - although they might be pronounced slightly differently.
buono(a)
good, tasty
il gelato
ice cream
il formaggio
cheese
Bello (a)
lovely, beautiful
Il Messico bello.
Mexico is lovely.
il tempo
weather
in Svizzera
in Switzerland
del Giappone
of Japan
in Australia
in Australia
Sydney in Australia.
Sydney is in Australia.