How to Say Goodbye in Italian

Italian is the official language of Italy, so if you plan to visit the country, it helps to know some Italian phrases so you can say "goodbye." The more ways you learn to say goodbye, the less you'll sound like a novice and tourist. As a physically expressive people, Italians use gestures and facial expressions with their words to convey their feelings in an open and exuberant way. The familiar greeting in Italian – whether you’re just coming in or leaving -- is ciao, which is pronounced like the word “chow.” But ciao is typically used among peers and close friends; as a tourist you might prefer a more formal way of saying goodbye.

“Until we see each other again” is reduced to one word in Italian: arrivederLa, which is a formal way to say goodbye. An informal way of saying goodbye is to say arrivederci or to tell the other person, “see you soon,” or, a presto, pronounced “ah press tow.” In more formal situations when you are taking your leave, shake the person's hand and say, buon giorno to mean "good morning" or buona sera to say "good evening."

When you become more familiar with someone, you can also say, “see you later” with a dopo or “see you tomorrow” by saying a domani. Friends might say, alla prossima, instead, which means “until next time.” For more casual farewells, you can say, ci vediamo for “see you”, ci vediamo piu tardi or a piu tardi for "see you later," stammi bene for "take care" or a simple "goodbye": addido.