Goodbye!

How do you say it in Italian?

Saying goodbye in Italian depends on the degree of intimacy between the speakers.

Culture shock!
Close relatives, especially if they won’t see each other for a while, will exchange kisses on the cheeks. Italians talk with their hands, as the stereotype goes, so friends will almost always wave to each other enthusiastically, even from across the street.

Ciao

The most common greeting is also the most common goodbye in Italian.

The very same word that starts a conversation between friends is also the word that ends it. It’s an informal goodbye: make sure you don’t address your boss that way.

People who know each other well, such as co-workers, will say ciao to each other because it requires a certain level of informality. In formal situations, you don’t want to say it.

Ci vediamo

Ci vediamo and ci vediamo dopo are two informal ways of saying goodbye in Italian.

Ci si vede

Italians will only exchange these if they know each other well or have some degree of familiarity. They commonly use them among co-workers, friends and relatives.

Ci si vede is generally used by younger people and is the most casual of these. It’s so casual that I wouldn’t even risk using it in the office, so be careful.

Arrivederci

What’s the difference?

They are both formal, but arrivederLa is even more formal than the other (note the capital L) and you can use it to address one person at a time.

If you are greeting a group of people and want to show respect to everyone, use arrivederci instead.

You can use arrivederci to greet a person. The only difference between arrivederci and arrivederLa is the degree of formality. Just don’t use arrivederLa in front of a group.

Addio

An addio lasts forever, so use it wisely.

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