How do you say nice to meet you in Italian?

How exactly do you say nice to meet you in Italian?

If you have some Italian friends you’re planning a trip to Italy to get to know them better, chances are they’ll introduce you to their friends. And then what? You are very eager to introduce yourself in their native language.

As you will see in this lesson, there is more than one way to say nice to meet you in Italian. This is because every conversation in Italian can be either informal or formal, depending on the degree of familiarity between the speakers.

We’ll also look at some useful words you might come across when introducing yourself.

Let’s get started! Iniziamo!

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Informal way(s) to say nice to meet you in Italian

Without further ado, let’s see how you can say nice to meet you in Italian to children, friends and acquaintances.

Piacere di conoscerti

Pronunciation: pee-ah-cheh-reh dee koh-no-shehr-tee

If you are among friends, this is what you are most likely hear, along with its shortened variant, which we will see in a minute. Since it’s a bit of a mouthful, let’s break it down:

• piacere (pleasure)
• di (of)
• conoscere (to know)
• ti (you, pronoun)

Italians enjoy getting to know people, not meeting them!

(Meeting people might not always be a pleasant experience after all, especially on public transport during the hottest Italian summer months…)

Ciao, sono Emanuele. Piacere di conoscerti!
Hi, I’m Emanuel. Nice to meet you!

Piacere di conoscerti, Emanuele. Io sono Paolo.
Nice to meet you, Emanuele. I am Paolo.

It is common to shorten this expression to piacere, or to add molto (much) at the beginning to express just how glad you are to meet a new person.

Ciao, sono Luca. Piacere!
Hi, I’m Luca. Nice to meet you!

Piacere, Claudio!
Nice to meet you, Luca. I’m Claudio!

Molto piacere, sono Elisa.
Nice to meet you, I’m Elisa.

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Formal way(s) to say nice to meet you in Italian

Of course, since you are learning a second language, no one is going to scowl at you for choosing the wrong sentence! But respect, when respect is due, will always be appreciated, even among people as friendly as the Italians.

In addition, you will make a very good impression!

So, what’s the formal way to say nice to meet you in Italian?

Pronunciation: pee-ah-cheh-reh dee koh-no-shehr-lah

Sono una collega dell’ingegnere Rossi. Piacere di conoscerla.
I am a colleague of engineer Rossi. Nice to meet you.

It’s nice to meet you would literally translate as “è bello incontrarti”, from the verb incontrare, which means to meet, but Italians never use this expression to introduce themselves to new people. Instead, the verb conoscere is used. You could use è bello incontrarti if you come across someone you already know.

There’s an even more polite way to say nice to meet you in Italian, and it’s lieto di conoscerla, which literally translates as “glad to know you”. You will hear it in formal settings where a higher level of politeness is warranted, such as during business meetings.

It comes in two variants, depending on the gender of the speaker, since Italian adjectives can be either masculine or feminine:

• lieto di conoscerla (male speaker)
• lieta di conoscerla (female speaker)

Pronunciation: lee-eh-toh dee koh-no-shehr-lah

Lieta di conoscerla, dottor Franchi.
Nice to meet you, Dr. Franchi.

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How to respond to nice to meet you in Italian

The most common response to nice to meet you in Italian is il piacere è mio, literally the pleasure is mine. Sometimes you will hear its variant il piacere è tutto mio, the pleasure is all mine.

These expressions translate very well into English, so you won’t have any trouble remembering them, and they are used in both formal and informal settings.

How to choose the correct piacere?

Use this little reference guide to choose the correct way to say nice to meet you in Italian:

• formal setting: piacere, piacere di conoscerla, lieto/a di conoscerla; answer: il piacere è (tutto) mio
• informal setting: piacere, piacere di conoscerti; answer: piacere, il piacere è mio

Examples of formal settings: a cashier at the supermarket, a shopkeeper, technical support on the phone, a counter clerk.

Examples of informal settings: a friend, your best friend, a child, your parents and relatives.

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What next?

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