In Italy, it is common for people to wish each other Buona giornata! as a farewell greeting in the early morning or afternoon, or Buona serata! at around 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. when the sun starts to set. So what about the time between morning and evening? Do Italians even say Good afternoon or …
If someone comes up to you and starts gloating about the fact that they won the lottery, you could a) be polite and say Che bello! (That’s great!), b) act genuinely happy for the person and say Sono felicissimo/a per te! (I’m so/very happy for you!) or c) let your sarcastic side loose and respond …
The Italian equivalent of the exclamative phrases Such is life! / That’s life. / C’est la vie! is Così è la vita! It is used to express acceptance or resignation in the face of a difficult or unpleasant situation in both a serious and jocular way. Così è la vita! Such is life! / C’est …
If you’ve just had a long conversation in Italian, it is important to know how to neatly wrap it up in a friendly and natural way that won’t offend your conversation partner. One closing phrase that suits this objective perfectly is Alla prossima! which translates as Until next time! Ciao ragazzi, alla prossima! Bye guys, …
If you suddenly find yourself longing to see someone, such as a friend or relative who lives in Italy, one way of expressing how much you miss them is with the phrase Vorrei che tu fossi qui which is the Italian equivalent of I wish you were here. Vorrei che tu fossi qui! I wish …
Fai con calma! is a frequently used Italian expression that usually translates as Take your time! or any equivalent expression that lets the other person know that there’s no need to hurry. It is made up of the following components: Fai con calma, non c’è nessuna fretta! Take your time, there‘s no rush at all! …