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Weekend Italian: Bite-size language chunks of Italian survival phrases and high-frequency words to kick-start your language learning. Grab a cup of coffee and spend a little time this weekend learning Italian!

Italian for Travelers: Hellos, goodbyes and how are yous

Imagine: You have dreamed of a week in Italy for years and today, you find yourself there, at last. (<3 !)

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Checking into the hotel, the first word you will likely be greeted with is buongiorno (hello/good morning) or perhaps buon pomeriggio (good afternoon), depending on the time of day. As you come and go during the week and the staff gets to know you better, they may switch to the more informal salve to say hello or even the least formal ciao — used for both hi and bye.

Outside your hotel, the city streets are bustling. “Pronto…” you hear constantly, as people answer their cell phones around you. (literally “I’m ready”).

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After a full day of touring, find yourself ready for a long Italian meal. “Buona sera,” (good evening) welcomes the host. Come sta (how are you)? After your exquisite meal, the staff will bid you simply, sera or perhaps buona notte, goodnight. (More often I have heard buona notte used just prior to retiring to sleep for the night.

Your amazing week comes to a close, and it’s time to bid the city arrivederci. “Ci vediamo presto,” you might hear from your new friends — we’ll see each other soon.

Word bank: buongiorno, buon pomeriggio, salve, ciao, pronto, buona sera, buona notte, come sta/stai, arrivederci, ci vediamo presto

Practice these words on Quizlet*

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Pronunciation resources: Forvo, Google Translate  Content resources: Learn a Language, Walks of Italy, About.com, Fluent Forever

This post first appeared on Prayers and Piazzas.

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