Let's Speak Italian

English	Italian	Greek
Hi!	Ciao!	Γεια!
Good morning!	Buongiorno!	Καλημέρα!
Good evening!	Buona sera!	Καλησπέρα!
Welcome! (to greet someone)	Benvenuto! (male) / Benvenuta! (female)	Καλωσορίσατε!
How are you	Come stai? / Come state? (more polite)	Πώς είστε;
I’m fine, thanks!	Bene, grazie!	Είμαι καλά, ευχαριστώ!
And you?	E tu? / E lei? (more polite)	Και συ;
So-So.	Così e così.	Έτσι και έτσι.
Thank you (very much)!	Grazie (molto)!	Σ’ ευχαριστώ (πάρα πολύ)!
You’re welcome! (for “thank you”)	Prego!	Παρακαλώ!
Hey! Friend!	Ciao! Amico!	Γεια! Φίλε!
I missed you so much!	Mi sei mancato molto!	Σε έχω πεθυμήσει πάρα πολύ!
What’s new?	Che c’è di nuovo?	Τι νέα;
Nothing much	Non molto	Τίποτα ιδιαίτερο
Good Nigth!	Buona notte!	Καληνύχτα!
See you later!	A dopo!	Θα σε δω αργότερο.
Good bye!	Arrivederci!	Γεια σου!
We were looking forward to you.	Non vedevamo l’ora di vedervi.	Σε περιμένουμε.
Enjoy your meal.	Buon appetito	Απόλαυσε το φαγητό σου.
Your city is beautiful.	La tua città è bellissima.	Η πόλη σου είναι όμορφη.
No entry.	Non si entra.	Απαγορεύεται η είσοδος.
Out of order.	Non funziona.	Χαλασμένο.
Excuse me, where’s the toilet?	Mi scusi, dove è il bagno?	Με συγχωρείτε, που είναι η τουαλέτα;
Gentlemen	Uomini	Άνδρες
Ladies	Donne	Γυναίκες
Push	Spingere	Σπρώξε
Pull	Tirare	Τράβα
Exit	Uscita	Έξοδος
Entrance	Ingresso	Είσοδος
I will show you your room	Ti mostrerò la tua stanza	Θα σου δείξω το δωμάτιο σου
This is your room.	Questa è la tua stanza.	Αυτό είναι το δωμάτιο σου.
Have a seat	Siediti	Κάθισε
Are you hungry?	Hai fame?	Πεινάς;
Do you like your meal?	Ti piace il tuo pasto?	Σου αρέσει το φαγητό σου;
Help yourself.	Serviti.	Εξυπηρετηθείτε από μόνοι σας.
That’s fine.	Va bene così.	Είναι εντάξει.
It doesn’t matter.	Non importa.	Δεν πειράζει.
I am in a hurry.	Io ho fretta.	Βιάζομαι.
Congratulations!	Congratulazioni!	Συγχαρητήρια!
Well done!	Ben fatto!	Πολύ καλά!
Good luck.	Buona fortuna.	Καλή τύχη.
What languages can you speak?	Quali lingue parli?	Ποιες γλώσσες μιλάτε;
I like…	Mi piace…	Μου αρέσει …
I don’t like…	Non mi piace…	Δεν μου αρέσει …
Thanks for your hospitality.	Grazie per la vostra ospitalità.	Σας ευχαριστώ για τη φιλοξενία.
You are right.	Hai ragione.	Σωστά.
You are wrong.	Hai torto.	Λάθος.
No smoking.	Non fumare.	Απαγορεύεται το κάπνισμα.
I’m lost.	Mi sono perso.	Είμαι χαμένος.
Can I help you?	Posso aiutarti?/ Posso aiutarla? (more polite)	Μπορώ να σε βοηθήσω;
Can you help me?	Potresti aiutarmi?/ Potrebbe aiutarmi? (more polite)	Μπορείς να με βοηθήσεις;
Where is the bathroom/ the pharmacy?	Dove è il bagno/ la farmacia?	Πού είναι το μπάνιο;/το φαρμακείο;
Go straight! then turn right/left!	Vada dritto! E poi giri a destra/sinistra!	Πήγαινε ίσια! Μετά στρίψε δεξιά/αριστερά!
I’m looking for…	Sto cercando…	Ψάχνω για …
One moment please!	Un momento prego!	Μια στιγμή παρακαλώ!
How much is this?	Quanto costa questo?	Πόσο κοστίζει;
Excuse me…! (to ask for something)	Scusami! / Mi scusi! (more polite)	Με συγχωρείτε …!
Excuse me! (to pass by)	Permesso	Με συγχωρείτε!
Come with me!	Vieni con me!/ Venga con me! (more polite)	Έλα μαζί μου!

Greetings and names in Italy

Many Italian social customs remain very traditional and formal. 
On first meeting someone, it is courteous to address him or her with

a personal title such as 'Signor/Signora/Signorina'. Titles are very

important in greetings and introductions and some professions are

regarded with great respect -'Dottore'- doctor, 'Ingegnere' -

engineer, and even 'Avvocato'- lawyer, are often used as

respectful terms of address.

 Use 'Ciao' to greet friends of the same age as you or younger.

Greet older people with 'Buongiorno' -  good morning  (Buonasera

after around 6pm). If you are unsure of what to say, 'Salve' - hi,

is a safe option for greeting anyone. On first introductions

Italians generally only ever shake hands, never kiss, and good eye

contact is considered very important.

 In Italy, you are expected to 'salutare', greet, every person in the

room by shaking hands or kissing, depending on the relationship,

and repeat the process again when you leave. On entering a bar or

shop, it is customary to greet people with a 'Buongiorno'

(Buonasera after about 6pm) and again on leaving.

 In  Italy we always give two kisses (Lina says) , never three and

hardly ever one kiss. Kissing is no more restricted to very close

friends but we also kiss simple friends. There are no fixed rules as

to which cheek to kiss first. Don't be surprised to see two men

greeting each other with a kiss or hug. In 1564, the government of

Naples banned the practice of kissing. If you were caught kissing

in public, it was an offence punishable by death!

 Italians, like many other nationalities, liked to keep names in the

family. Traditionally the first son was named after the 'head' of

the family, the paternal grandfather, while the first daughter wasnamed after the paternal grandmother. Any subsequent siblings

were given names from the maternal side of the family (That’s an

old tradition, Lina says, today young couples usually give the names

they like to the first son, a minority of them  follow the tradition

of giving the grandfather’s name).

 Italian first names generally end in a vowel, and often have a

masculine-o and a feminine -a ending, e.g.Mario and Maria, Carlo

and Carla. But don't get caught out - some common male names like

Andrea, Nicola, and Luca don't follow that rule. If a child is born

on a Saint's day, it usually adopts the Saint's name. Until recently,

Italians could only be baptised with the name either of a saint or a

biblical figure. Today, however, there are many more non-Christian

names in use, e.g. Aldo and Fiorella.

 The most popular names are Maria, Francesca, Giovanni, Antonio,

Giuseppe and Mario. Many first names are abbreviated, for

example, Beppe, Pippo and Pino are all short for Giuseppe.

 Italian surnames were introduced around the year 1000, to

account for its growing population. Some surnames refer to the

family place of origin, e.g. di Genova means 'from Genova'. Other

surnames derive from professions like Forni, baker, and personal

characteristics such as Rosso or Rossi, for someone with red hair.

There are even names referring to similarities to animals such as

Agnello, lamb, for someone considered gentle. Some surnames are

found only in specific regions or towns of Italy. The surname Zola,

for example, is predominantly found in the Piedmont and Lombardy

regions of the north.

THE ITALIANS‘QUALITIES

“Being Italian is a full time job “said the columnist Beppe Severgnini,” We never forget who we are and we take pleasure in confounding those who observe us”

But, as usual, there’s always the other side of the coin,  so  our qualities may also be our faults.

Colourful, bold, romantic, passionate high spirited, Italian people  are  all this and more. They are lively, sociable, have a sunny character, a passion for everything they do and the same collective outlook on life: they enjoy it.

 Italian people express emotions freely and give hugs, kisses and other displays of affection whenever they meet someone. They are a nation where everyone talks to each other and, as Stendhal stated: ‘One immediately gets intimacy in Italy and talks about self affairs’. They exude confidence and hospitality. Italians love to laugh and talk loudly, usually emphasizing everything with hand gestures. They are quick to welcome strangers into their towns and homes, and are always ready to share a meal or a story, a good joke or a song.

The Italians are very good at cooking and they love their food. They take a lengthy lunch break each day, when they go back home from work and spend a long time having hearty meals in the evening. Eating is considered a pleasure. Mealtime is not rushed; fast food is a foreign concept. Italian people enjoy their food, and enjoy the social interaction that is such a part of sharing a good meal.

 They are also very good at fashion, Italian stylists are famous all over the world. Italian people are proud of their artistic heritage: museums, churches, courtyards and statues all over the country proudly display the treasures of some of the greatest artists: Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, to name just a few. Italian people have contributed significantly to world culture and scientific and technological progress continuously since ancient times. In the Arts, Italy produced some of the most widely known sculptors, writers and painters. Notable examples include Leonardo, Michelangelo, Dante, Pirandello and Raphael. Italian composers and musicians, such as Vivaldi, Rossini and Verdi, contributed to the evolution of western music, and Opera is also an Italian creation.

Famous  Italian  scientists include Alessandro Volta,  Guglielmo Marconi, Enrico Fermi and Galileo. Italian contributions to architecture and engineering are numerous; some renowned architects include Brunelleschi, Bernini and Palladio.

The Italians keeps on being good at the scientific, artistic, literary, sports and musical field also nowadays.