Ciao!
Hi! / Bye!
IPA /ˈtʃao/
Say it CHAH-oh
Works for hello and goodbye, with people you use tu with.
Lesson 2 of 16
Meet, Greet and Introduce Yourself
Master the verbs essere, fare and stare, and handle your first real conversations: greetings, introductions, names, nationalities and jobs.
What you will learn
- Conjugate essere, fare and stare in the present tense
- Greet people and ask how they are in both informal and formal Italian
- Introduce yourself and others with Mi chiamo and Piacere
- Talk about your nationality and profession
- Use e, ma and o to join ideas
- Choose between tu and Lei by context
Quick review
Say these aloud before you start. They come from earlier lessons.
- Parlo italiano. I speak Italian.
- Non lavoro qui. I do not work here.
- Dove abiti? Where do you live?
- Ho una domanda. I have a question.
- Abbiamo mangiato bene. We ate well.
Theory
The three pillars of every conversation
Essere (to be), fare (to do/make) and stare (to stay/be doing) appear in almost every first meeting. essere and fare are irregular, so learn them as sets — but note that stare is regular: sto, stai, sta, stiamo, state, stanno.
stare appears in greetings: Come stai? literally means 'How are you staying?' — but Italians ask it as 'How are you?'. At beginner level: use stare for how someone is doing or feeling, and essere for who or what someone is.
- Io sono inglese. I am English.
- Che lavoro fai? What do you do for a living?
- Sto bene, grazie. I am well, thanks.
Informal tu and formal Lei
Italian has two ways to say 'you'. Use tu with friends, family and young people. Use Lei (with a capital L) with strangers, older people and in professional situations.
The verb form changes too: Come stai? (informal) becomes Come sta? (formal). When in doubt in Italy, start formal — Italians will invite you to switch to tu.
- Come ti chiami? What is your name? (informal)
- Come si chiama? What is your name? (formal)
- Lei parla inglese? Do you speak English? (formal)
Introducing yourself without hesitation
Mi chiamo... is the standard way to give your name — it literally means 'I call myself...'. Piacere means 'pleasure' and is the all-purpose reply when you meet someone: Piacere! — 'Nice to meet you!'.
To say where you are from, use Di dove sei? (informal) or Di dov'è? (formal), and answer with Sono di + city or Sono + nationality.
- Mi chiamo Laura. My name is Laura.
- Di dove sei? Where are you from? (informal)
- Sono di Londra, ma sono inglese. I am from London, and I am English.
Joining ideas: e, ma, o
Three tiny conjunctions connect your sentences: e (and), ma (but), o (or). Put them between two complete sentences or two items: Sono di Roma, ma abito a Milano.
Learn the greeting pairs as units: buongiorno/buonasera for meeting, arrivederci/a presto for leaving, and remember grazie and prego always travel together.
- Buongiorno, come sta? Good morning, how are you? (formal)
- Grazie mille! Prego. Thanks a lot! You are welcome.
- Arrivederci e a presto! Goodbye and see you soon!
| essere | fare | stare | |
|---|---|---|---|
| io | sono | faccio | sto |
| tu | sei | fai | stai |
| lui / lei | è | fa | sta |
| noi | siamo | facciamo | stiamo |
| voi | siete | fate | state |
| loro | sono | fanno | stanno |
essere and stare both give sono in the io form — a common trap. Sono inglese (I am English) but Sto bene (I am well).
| Meeting | Leaving | |
|---|---|---|
| any time | Ciao! | Ciao! / A presto! |
| morning | Buongiorno! | Buona giornata! |
| afternoon/evening | Buonasera! | Buonasera! / Arrivederci! |
| night | Buonanotte! | Buonanotte! |
Ciao works for both hello and goodbye, but only with people you use tu with.
Vocabulary
Learn these words with their pronunciation. Nouns are given with their article — always learn them together.
| Italian | English | Pronunciation | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| essere | to be | /ˈessere/ EHS-seh-reh | |
| fare | to do, to make | /ˈfare/ FAH-reh | |
| stare | to stay, to be (how one is) | /ˈstare/ STAH-reh | |
| chiamarsi | to be called | /kjaˈmarsi/ kyah-MAHR-see | |
| ciao | hi, bye | /ˈtʃao/ CHAH-oh | |
| buongiorno | good morning, good day | /bwonˈdʒorno/ bwohn-JOR-noh | |
| buonasera | good evening | /bwonaˈsera/ bwoh-nah-SEH-rah | |
| arrivederci | goodbye (formal) | /arriveˈdertʃi/ ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee | |
| grazie | thank you | /ˈɡrattsje/ GRAHT-syeh | |
| prego | you are welcome, please | /ˈpreɡo/ PREH-goh | |
| scusa | sorry, excuse me (informal) | /ˈskuza/ SKOO-zah | |
| male | badly, bad | /ˈmale/ MAH-leh | |
| così così | so-so | /koˈzi koˈzi/ koh-ZEE koh-ZEE | |
| il piacere | pleasure; nice to meet you | /pjaˈtʃere/ pyah-CHEH-reh | |
| il nome | name | /ˈnome/ NOH-meh | |
| italiano | Italian (person/language) | /itaˈljano/ ee-tah-LYAH-noh | |
| inglese | English (person/language) | /iŋˈɡleze/ een-GLEH-zeh | |
| lo studente | student | /stuˈdente/ stoo-DEHN-teh | |
| il professore | teacher (male) | /profesˈsore/ proh-fehs-SOH-reh | |
| il medico | doctor | /ˈmɛdiko/ MEH-dee-koh | |
| l'insegnante | teacher | /inseɲˈɲante/ een-sehn-YAHN-teh | |
| l'ingegnere | engineer | /indʒeɲˈɲere/ een-jehn-YEH-reh | |
| l'avvocato | lawyer | /avvoˈkato/ ahv-voh-KAH-toh | |
| il lavoro | job, work | /laˈvoro/ lah-VOH-roh | |
| oggi | today | /ˈɔddʒi/ OH-jee | |
| il marito | husband | /maˈrito/ mah-REE-toh | |
| la moglie | wife | /ˈmɔʎʎe/ MOH-lyeh |
Ready-to-use phrases
Buongiorno!
Good morning! / Good day!
IPA /bwonˈdʒorno/
Say it bwohn-JOR-noh
Buonasera!
Good evening!
IPA /bwonaˈsera/
Say it bwoh-nah-SEH-rah
Used from late afternoon.
Come stai?
How are you? (informal)
IPA /ˈkome ˈstai/
Say it KOH-meh STY
Come sta?
How are you? (formal)
IPA /ˈkome ˈsta/
Say it KOH-meh STAH
Use Lei forms with people you do not know.
Sto bene, grazie. E tu?
I am well, thanks. And you?
IPA /sto ˈbɛne ˈɡrattsje e ˈtu/
Say it stoh BEH-neh GRAHT-syeh eh TOO
Mi chiamo Marco.
My name is Marco.
IPA /mi ˈkjamo ˈmarko/
Say it mee KYAH-moh MAR-koh
Piacere!
Nice to meet you!
IPA /pjaˈtʃere/
Say it pyah-CHEH-reh
The standard reply when names are exchanged.
Come ti chiami?
What is your name? (informal)
IPA /ˈkome ti ˈkjami/
Say it KOH-meh tee KYAH-mee
Come si chiama?
What is your name? (formal)
IPA /ˈkome si ˈkjama/
Say it KOH-meh see KYAH-mah
Di dove sei?
Where are you from? (informal)
IPA /di ˈdove ˈsɛi/
Say it dee DOH-veh SAY
Sono inglese, di Londra.
I am English, from London.
IPA /ˈsono iŋˈɡleze di ˈlondra/
Say it SOH-noh een-GLEH-zeh dee LOHN-drah
Che lavoro fai?
What do you do for a living? (informal)
IPA /ke laˈvoro ˈfai/
Say it keh lah-VOH-roh FY
Faccio il medico.
I am a doctor.
IPA /ˈfattʃo il ˈmɛdiko/
Say it FAH-choh eel MEH-dee-koh
Fare + il + profession: Faccio il medico. Sono studente (no article).
Sono studente.
I am a student.
IPA /ˈsono stuˈdente/
Say it SOH-noh stoo-DEHN-teh
Questo è mio marito.
This is my husband.
IPA /ˈkwesto ɛ mi o maˈrito/
Say it KWEH-stoh eh MEE-oh mah-REE-toh
Questa è mia moglie.
This is my wife.
IPA /ˈkwesta ɛ ˈmia ˈmɔʎʎe/
Say it KWEH-stah eh MEE-ah MOH-lyeh
Grazie mille!
Thanks a lot!
IPA /ˈɡrattsje ˈmille/
Say it GRAHT-syeh MEEL-leh
Prego.
You are welcome.
IPA /ˈpreɡo/
Say it PREH-goh
Prego also means 'please go ahead' and 'can I help you?'.
Arrivederci e a presto!
Goodbye and see you soon!
IPA /arriveˈdertʃi e a ˈprɛsto/
Say it ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee eh ah PREHS-toh
Buona giornata!
Have a nice day!
IPA /ˈbwɔna dʒorˈnata/
Say it BWOH-nah jor-NAH-tah
Said when parting in the morning/afternoon.
Mi dispiace.
I am sorry.
IPA /mi disˈpjatʃe/
Say it mee dees-PYAH-cheh
Also 'I am sorry to hear that'.
Dialogues
At a house party in Rome
Giulia introduces herself to Emma at a friend's birthday party.
-
Giulia
Ciao! Mi chiamo Giulia. E tu?
Hi! My name is Giulia. And you?
-
Emma
Ciao! Io sono Emma. Piacere!
Hi! I am Emma. Nice to meet you!
-
Giulia
Piacere! Di dove sei?
Nice to meet you! Where are you from?
-
Emma
Sono inglese, di Londra. E tu?
I am English, from London. And you?
-
Giulia
Sono di Roma, ma adesso abito a Milano.
I am from Rome, but now I live in Milan.
-
Emma
Che lavoro fai?
What do you do for a living?
-
Giulia
Faccio l'avvocato. E tu?
I am a lawyer. And you?
-
Emma
Sono studentessa di italiano!
I am an Italian-language student!
Formal meeting at the office
A new colleague meets the director for the first time — everything stays formal.
-
Direttore
Buongiorno, come sta?
Good morning, how are you?
-
Luca
Buongiorno, sto bene, grazie. E lei?
Good morning, I am well, thank you. And you?
-
Direttore
Bene, grazie. Come si chiama?
Well, thanks. What is your name?
-
Luca
Mi chiamo Luca Bianchi.
My name is Luca Bianchi.
-
Direttore
Piacere. Che lavoro fa?
Nice to meet you. What do you do?
-
Luca
Faccio l'ingegnere da cinque anni.
I have worked as an engineer for five years.
-
Direttore
Perfetto. Arrivederci e buona giornata!
Perfect. Goodbye and have a nice day!
Exercises
Answer actively — try to recall the Italian before you look at any hint.
Choose the correct form of essere.
Io ___ inglese.
Choose the correct form of fare.
Tu ___ il medico?
Choose the correct form of stare.
Noi ___ bene, grazie.
Write the correct form.
essere — lei (present tense)
Write the correct form.
fare — loro (present tense)
Write the full form.
chiamarsi — io (present tense)
Write the full form.
chiamarsi — lei (present tense)
Fill the gap with the correct question word.
___ stai? (How are you?)
Fill the gap with the missing adverb.
Sto ___, grazie. (I am well.)
Translate into Italian.
My name is Marco.
Translate into Italian.
Where are you from? (informal)
Translate into Italian.
I am English, from London.
Translate into Italian.
What do you do for a living? (informal)
Translate into Italian.
I am a doctor.
Translate into English.
Piacere!
Translate into English.
Come si chiama?
Choose the correct form for the formal you.
Lei ___ inglese?
Tap the words in the correct order.
Build the sentence: I am from Rome but I live in Milan.
Tap a greeting, then its situation.
Match each greeting to its use.
True or false?
Sono inglese means 'I am well'.
True or false?
Come sta? is more formal than Come stai?.
Play the audio, then type exactly what you hear.
Listen and write the Italian sentence.
Choose the correct article for professions after fare.
Faccio ___ medico.
Say the greeting aloud, then reveal the meaning and rate yourself.
Buongiorno! Come sta?
Say it aloud with your own name, then reveal and rate yourself.
Mi chiamo... Piacere!
Speak now
Do a one-minute self-introduction aloud: greet, give your name, nationality, city and job. Then switch to formal and do it again as if meeting a stranger.
- Buongiorno! Mi chiamo... Good morning! My name is...
- Sono inglese, di Londra. I am English, from London.
- Faccio l'ingegnere. I am an engineer.
- Piacere! Come sta? Nice to meet you! How are you? (formal)
- Grazie e arrivederci! Thank you and goodbye!
Lesson checkpoint
Before you move on, make sure you can do all of this without looking:
- Greet someone formally and informally, and say goodbye
- Give your name, nationality, city and job without notes
- Ask someone their name and how they are, in both tu and Lei
- Say all six forms of essere, fare and stare from memory
- Join two ideas with e, ma or o
Remember this
- essere: sono, sei, è, siamo, siete, sono — for who or what someone is.
- stare: sto, stai, sta, stiamo, state, stanno — for how someone is: Sto bene.
- fare: faccio, fai, fa, facciamo, fate, fanno — and fare + il + job: Faccio il medico.
- Mi chiamo + name, Piacere on meeting, and Di dove sei? / Di dov'è? for origins.
- tu is informal, Lei is formal; the verb forms change accordingly.
Go deeper: essere · fare · Present tense · Questions · Negation