How To Say “Good Afternoon” In Italian
If you’ve ever been to Italy, you’re probably already familiar with the wide variety of greetings used throughout the country.
This is both a charming and perplexing aspect of Italian culture. There are so many different expressions that correspond to different times of the day that you might end up hearing more than a dozen different variations in just one day!
Naturally, Italians do not anticipate that non-Italians will be able to master these concepts perfectly.
But if you are able to do so, they will be extremely impressed. Even if the rest of the conversation is in English, it’s a great way to establish a rapport with the people you’re talking to, whether it’s your tour guide, the store owner, or the hotel receptionist.
So, how does one say”Good Afternoon in Italian? Check out our guide to find out!
How To Say Good Afternoon In Italian
Check out these articles for more Italian vocabularies:
Do Italians say “Good afternoon”?
It is common practice for Italians to greet one another with the phrase “Buona giornata!” as a goodbye greeting in the morning or afternoon, or Buona serata! around 4 or 5 o’clock in the evening as the sun begins to set in Italian. So, what happens between morning and evening? Is it common practice for Italians to greet one another with “Good afternoon” or “Have a good afternoon”?
It turns out that they don’t do that very often at all. The expression “buon pomeriggio” is almost never heard outside of the context of radio or television these days, and it is regarded as a rather formal greeting.
It’s possible that you’ve heard this expression phrased in the following way, for instance:
- Buon pomeriggio a tutti i nostri telespettatori e ben ritrovati. – Good afternoon everyone, and welcome back.
The reason why “buon pomeriggio” isn’t used in everyday conversations as much as it should be is due to the fact that Italians have a tendency to think of the day in terms of daytime (light) and evening (dark).
The term “pomeriggio” is not essential to the definition of the day in all respects. On the other hand, “buon pomeriggio” may be more common on television and radio because it indicates the time of day that the broadcast is taking place.
Other Ways to say “good afternoon” in Italian
Ciao
Check out these articles for more Italian vocabularies:
As an informal alternative to “good afternoon,” “Ciao” (Hello) is commonly used. Alternatively, you could use “Buonasera” (Good evening) or “Buongiorno” (Good day) if you prefer a more formal tone.
“Ciao,” a greeting that has spread beyond Italy’s borders and is now heard occasionally in the United States as well as frequently in German, Spanish, and other European conversations, is best saved for those of a more intimate social circle.
However, even in these situations, it is typically followed by a “how are you” of some sort:
- come sta? – how are you(dping)?(formal)
- come stai? – how are you / how’s it going? (informal)
- come va? – what’s up? (very informal)
Salve (formal)
“Salve” can also be used as a more formal alternative to “good afternoon” in Italian. In essence, this is just a more formal way of saying “Ciao.”
It’s best to stick to a formal greeting whenever possible, especially when meeting someone for the first time, if they hold a position of authority, or if you’re having a one-time conversation, like when purchasing a train ticket.
This is the most straightforward Italian formal greeting, and it can be used at any time of day or in any social setting. The word “salve” is roughly equivalent to the now-archaic and rarely-heard “salutations” in English.
However, “Salve” can be too formal for some contexts, so it’s helpful to learn the various “good day”-style greetings for the various times of the day:
- Buongiorno
This can be used from the beginning of the morning until after lunch.
- Buona sera
Though in some regions it is more appropriate to say “buon pomeriggio” (literally good afternoon) until dinner time, this greeting, which literally means “good evening,” can be used all afternoon and evening.
Buon Pomeriggio
Good afternoon can also be said with the less common “Buon pomeriggio.” In Italian, you can say “good afternoon” to wish someone well.
However, in Italy, saying “good afternoon” in a literal sense is not common practice. Native speakers of Italian tend to transition from “buongiorno” (good day) to “buona sera” (good evening) as the afternoon wears on.
