You don’t need much grammar to make a good first impression. In Italy and France, a confident greeting, a short follow-up, and a clean exit will get you further than a perfect verb conjugation.

Italian Greetings

Italian	English

Ciao	Hello / Hi
Buongiorno	Good morning / Good day
Buonasera	Good evening
Come stai?	How are you?
Sto bene, grazie	I am well, thank you
E tu?	And you?
Piacere di conoscerti	Nice to meet you
A presto	See you soon
Arrivederci	Goodbye

French Greetings

French	English

Salut	Hello / Hi
Bonjour	Good morning / Good day
Bonsoir	Good evening
Comment ça va ?	How are you?
Ça va bien, merci	I am well, thank you
Et toi ?	And you?
Enchanté(e)	Nice to meet you
À bientôt	See you soon
Au revoir	Goodbye

The Full First Exchange

Italian	French

Ciao, come stai?	Salut, comment ça va ?
Sto bene, grazie! E tu?	Ça va bien, merci ! Et toi ?

These two short dialogues cover the five sounds locals expect to hear: hello, the question, a positive answer, thanks, and the return question. They work in cafés, shops, hostels, and hotel lobbies.

When to Use Formal Greetings

In both countries, “tu” forms like ciao and salut are fine with peers, café staff, and anyone your age or younger. Use buongiorno and bonjour with hotel staff, older people, or anyone you want to show a little more respect to. When in doubt, start formal — a slightly too-formal greeting is better than a too-casual one.

Pronunciation Tip

Italian is mostly phonetic: say what you see. French hides its final consonants — comment ça va sounds roughly like “koh-mahn sah vah” and the final s is silent.

Practice Before You Land

You can drill these Italian and French greetings in Tango Lingo’s phrase packs before you leave. The packs turn the phrases into sentence puzzles, so the first time you use them in Rome or Paris is not the first time you have heard yourself say them.

Italian and French Greetings Every Traveller Should Know