With any language, you’ll always understand more from listening, especially words that are used every day. It takes longer to develop conversational skills, but that shouldn’t stop us from learning some basic greetings and knowing how to say please and thank you, including correct pronunciation.
CIAO is known the world over, but in Italy it is not always the right greeting because ciao is informal. Italians use it with friends, family, children and colleagues they know well. It can mean both hello and goodbye. For visitors it is too casual and can be interpreted as disrespectful.
In any situation where you don’t know the person, use buongiorno or buonasera and arrivederci when leaving. Buongiorno means good morning and is used up until mid afternoon. Buonasera means good evening and is used from mid afternoon until evening. The exact time when you switch depends very much on the region.
You will notice only one ciao on greeting, but it always amuses me when there are multiple ciaos when saying goodbye . . . ciao, ciao, ciao - even on the phone. Goodbye is often a social process that stretches far longer than you would imagine. In fact, the goodbye can almost become a second conversation.
Here are some of my favourite words that Italians use constantly.
Allora: It’s a thinking word that really doesn’t mean anything, but it’s a great conversational tool to have. It can begin a sentence, restart a discussion, give you a moment to try and find the next words. Allora is one of the words that makes Italian sound Italian. It gives conversation movement, rhythm and intention because it can mean then, so, well, at that time, in that case or something close to let’s see. A fill in word, a bit like using Mmm in English.
Prego: It means you’re welcome, but it is so much more than that. In everyday Italian, prego can also mean please, go ahead, after you, come in, tell me, can I help you. The meaning depends on the situation. You will hear it most often when you say grazie - thank you. Prego - you’re welcome.
Mamma mia: This is a common Italian expression to express strong emotion, be it surprise or shock, frustration or belief, even excitement. In English a similar phrase is my goodness or wow!
Pronto: You’ll hear it when Italians answer the phone because it is the standard Italian telephone greeting, but it is not the same as hello and is not normally used face to face. The word means ready.
Magari: So many Italian words have multiple meanings. Magari is one of those words that changes meaning with tone. It can mean maybe, I wish, if only, or that would be great. The word itself is only half the meaning; the tone does the rest. Said flatly, it may sound uncertain. Said with longing, it means I wish. Said enthusiastically, it can mean yes, happily.
Italian hand gestures
I have always loved how expressive and animated Italians are when they speak, including hand gestures. Believe me, it is not random hand waving, but a rich way of communicating, often used to add emphasis, express emotion, clarify meaning or replace words in a conversation.
Expressive does not always mean angry. A conversation can be so lively that you imagine two people are arguing. They’re not, they’re just being Italian.
As with dialect, food and local customs, gestures can vary from region to region.
Italian words often end in vowels
Italian evolved from spoken Latin, and over time its word endings became one of the clearest indicators of grammar and pronunciation. The final vowel tells you whether a noun is singular or plural, masculine or feminine.
Vowels give Italian its open sound which help to make it flow. Italian is smooth, musical and one of the five main Romance Languages. Good to know is that every vowel on the end of a word has a sound value, which is really important for pronouncing grazie correctly. Avoid saying graht-zee or graht-see. The z is pronounced as a tz sound like pizza; the e on the end is pronounced - graht-syeh.
Italian dialects are not simply accents
Many dialects are distinct local languages with their own history, sounds and emotional power. Surprisingly, some Italians from different regions, particularly the north and the south, may not fully understand each other’s traditional dialects. Many Italian dialects are not simply different ways of pronouncing standard Italian. They can have their own vocabulary, grammar, sounds and traditions.
Some are better understood as regional or local languages. Neapolitan, Sicilian, Venetian, Sardinian, Friulian and many others have history that go far beyond accent.
Italy’s history was fragmented for centuries with the country only becoming unified as a nation in 1861. Before that, different areas developed under different governments, cultures and languages. Geography also made a difference. Mountains, valleys, islands and rural communities helped preserve local forms of speech.
Italian dialects reveal the depth of Italy’s local history. They show that the country is not only divided into 20 regions on a map, but into voices, expressions and inherited ways of speaking. Understanding dialect helps visitors understand why Italians care so much about place. Speech identifies belonging just as food, festivals and architecture do.
In Italy, the way people speak can be a map of where they come from.
Ci vediamo la prossima settimana.
Deb