Italian Goodbyes: Ciao, Arrivederci, A Presto and Buonanotte
A0 · Lesson 02 · Goodbyes
Six goodbyes, three wishes, one golden rule, and you will leave every room like a local.
Quick answer
The main Italian goodbyes are ciao (bye, informal), arrivederci (goodbye, polite), a presto (see you soon), a domani (see you tomorrow) and ci vediamo (see you). Add a wish when you leave: buona giornata (have a nice day), buona serata (have a nice evening) or buonanotte (good night).
The 6 Italian goodbyes
Learn them as ready-made blocks. No grammar needed.
Ciao!
CHOW
Bye! Yes, the same word as “hi”.
InformalAny timeArrivederci!
ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee
Goodbye! For shops, offices and people you don’t know well.
PoliteAny timeArrivederLa!
ah-ree-veh-DEHR-lah
Goodbye! Extra formal and rare: you will hear it more than you say it.
Extra formalAny timeA presto!
ah PREH-stoh
See you soon!
Friends & familyAny timeA domani!
ah doh-MAH-nee
See you tomorrow!
Anyone you see tomorrowCi vediamo!
chee veh-DYAH-moh
See you! The most common informal goodbye.
InformalAny time
Window down, ears in the wind: Ciao! A presto! Six goodbyes, and I use all of them before the car leaves the driveway.
Ciao or arrivederci? Same hug test
💡 In simple words
Would you hug this person? → Ciao! Ci vediamo! A presto!
Would you shake hands? → Arrivederci!
Friends and family get ciao, ci vediamo and a presto. Shops, offices, hotels and people you don’t know well get arrivederci. And ArrivederLa? It is the tuxedo version: a very formal clerk or an elderly gentleman may say it to you. You can simply answer Arrivederci!
The 3 wishes: only when you leave
Italians love to add a little wish on the way out.
☀️ Leaving during the day
Buona giornata!
BWOH-nah jor-NAH-tah · Have a nice day!
🌇 Leaving in the evening
Buona serata!
BWOH-nah seh-RAH-tah · Have a nice evening!
🌙 End of the night / bedtime
Buonanotte!
BWOH-nah-NOHT-teh · Good night!
📌 The golden rule
A wish is said when you leave, never when you arrive.
Arriving? Use a greeting (buongiorno, buonasera, ciao). Leaving? Goodbye + wish.
Buonanotte is a goodbye, not a greeting. You say it at the end of the evening when everyone goes home, or before bed.
Goodbye + wish: the perfect exit
Put the two blocks together. This is what Italians really say at the door.
Polite
Arrivederci, buona giornata!
ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee, BWOH-nah jor-NAH-tah · Goodbye, have a nice day!
Evening? Swap the wish: buona serata
Friends
Ciao, a domani!
CHOW, ah doh-MAH-nee · Bye, see you tomorrow!
Swap the words: ci vediamo a presto buonanotte
Six perfect exits
Arrivederci, buona giornata!
ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee, BWOH-nah jor-NAH-tah
Goodbye, have a nice day!
Arrivederci, buona serata!
ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee, BWOH-nah seh-RAH-tah
Goodbye, have a nice evening!
Ciao, a domani!
CHOW, ah doh-MAH-nee
Bye, see you tomorrow!
Ciao, ci vediamo!
CHOW, chee veh-DYAH-moh
Bye, see you!
Ciao, a presto!
CHOW, ah PREH-stoh
Bye, see you soon!
Ciao, buonanotte!
CHOW, BWOH-nah-NOHT-teh
Bye, good night! (end of the evening, going to bed)
In real life: leaving a shop, leaving a friend
you
Arrivederci!
Goodbye!
Signor Bruno
shopkeeper
Arrivederci, buona giornata!
Goodbye, have a nice day!
Sara
your friend
Ciao, a domani!
Bye, see you tomorrow!
you
Ciao, Sara! Ci vediamo!
Bye, Sara! See you!
Same afternoon: arrivederci for the shopkeeper, ciao for your friend.
Common mistakes English speakers make
Walking into a shop at 10 am: Buona giornata! → Buongiorno!
Buona giornata is a wish for the rest of the day. It means you are already leaving.
Arriving at a restaurant at 9 pm: Buonanotte! → Buonasera!
Buonanotte closes the night. Say it at the door when you go home, not when you sit down.
Leaving the bank: Ci vediamo! → Arrivederci!
Ci vediamo is for friends. The bank teller gets arrivederci.
Did you know? Ciao used to mean “your servant”
🛶 From Venice
Ciao comes from the Venetian s-ciào, meaning “(I am) your servant”. It was a very humble, polite way to greet someone.
😎 Today
Today it is the most informal word there is: hello and goodbye, for friends and family. Funny how words travel.
Tip: Italian goodbyes take time. Expect a ciao, a ci vediamo, a buona serata… and then one more ciao at the door.
I said buonanotte at 10 pm. Then I came back for a snack. Then buonanotte again. Italians call this a normal evening.
Step 7 · Practice
🍕 Your turn
Start with a quick warm-up, then press Check. Want more? Open the extra exercises below. Mistakes are part of it. No pressure.
Warm-up · 5 questions
You are leaving. Choose the right goodbye.
1. Your brother
2. The pharmacist
3. The hotel receptionist
4. Your best friend
5. A taxi driver
See more exercises · 42 questions ▾Hide the extra exercises ▴
1 · What does it mean?
Choose the English meaning.
1. A domani!
2. A presto!
3. Buona serata!
4. Ci vediamo!
5. Buona giornata!
6. Buonanotte!
7. Arrivederci!
8. Ciao!
2 · Arriving or leaving?
Remember the golden rule. Choose a greeting (arriving) or a wish (leaving).
1. You walk into a bakery at 9 am.
2. You leave the bakery at 9:10 am.
3. You walk into a wine bar at 7 pm.
4. You leave the wine bar at 8 pm.
5. You leave a party at midnight.
6. You arrive at a dinner party at 9 pm.
7. Your roommate goes to bed.
8. You leave the post office at 11 am.
9. You enter the post office at 10 am.
10. You leave the hotel desk at 7 pm to go out for dinner.
3 · Right or wrong?
Is the goodbye right for the situation?
1. “Buona giornata!” as you walk into a café at 8 am
2. “Ciao, a domani!” to a classmate after your Italian course
3. “Arrivederci!” to the museum guard as you leave
4. “Ci vediamo!” to a police officer who just gave you directions
5. “Buonanotte!” to your mom before bed
6. “Buonanotte!” as you sit down in a restaurant at 8 pm
7. “Arrivederci, buona serata!” leaving a shop at 6 pm
8. “Ciao, a presto!” to your cousin at the airport
4 · What would you say?
Choose the best goodbye for each situation.
1. You leave work. You will see your colleague again tomorrow.
2. Your friend goes back to New York. You will visit soon.
3. You leave a clothes shop at 11 am.
4. A very formal clerk says “ArrivederLa!” to you. What do you answer?
5. You leave your friends’ house at 11:30 pm and go home to sleep.
6. You leave the gym. Your gym buddy waves.
5 · Write it in Italian
Type the goodbye. Capital letters and punctuation don’t matter.
1. Goodbye! (polite)
2. See you soon!
3. See you tomorrow!
4. See you! (informal)
5. Have a nice day!
6. Have a nice evening!
7. Good night!
8. Goodbye, have a nice day! (to a shopkeeper)
9. Bye, see you tomorrow! (to a friend)
10. Bye, good night! (to a friend, late at night)
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Ci vediamo la prossima settimana! – Sì, alla prossima lezione! Ciao!
See you next week! – Yes, see you at the next lesson! Bye!
Written by Luciana
Native Italian teacher, CEDILS certified, 10,000+ lessons since 2020.
