Welcome back to another blog post. Today we will talk about some of the ways you can introduce yourself in Italian, both formal and informal. Make sure to check out the podcast episode above too to hear the exact pronunciation and context! 🎤👆 On to the post! There are different ways of introducing yourself in Italian, depending on who you’re speaking to, where you’re going and who you’re with. And because Italian has a different form when using the formal way, it becomes a little trickier. With the formal way, we use the 3rd person feminine. Usually, when people meet in Italy for the first time they shake hands but when you meet up with friends or relatives you kiss twice on your cheeks, starting from the right side. You kiss one another when you know each other already. I’ve been in many circumstances though, that after having met someone for the first time and having shaken hands, we say goodbye with the two kisses. It just depends on how friendly you get during your conversation and on the type of people they are.  Greetings Let’s start with some simple ones. Start with a greeting: Ciao! This means hello and goodbye. It can be used in any situation and it’s both formal and informal. Buongiorno/buonasera Good morning and good evening. There’s no written rule on when to say which but usually you would say buongiorno up until mid-afternoon and buonasera when it starts to get dark. Buon pomeriggio (good afternoon) is rarely used Salve This means hello too, but it’s slightly more formal. You can mix some of the expressions too. For example, you could say salve buongiorno or ciao buongiorno, or again salve buonsera. They are all ways to say hello. Name and age After having said hello, you might want to introduce yourself and say your name. Let’s have a look at some ways of expressing this. Ciao, mi chamo Francesca. Hello, my name is Francesca. Buongiorno, sono Francesca. Good morning, I’m Francesca. Ciao, mi chiamo Francesca. E tu? Hello, my name is Francesca. And you? Ciao, mi chiamo Francesca. E lei? ”E lei?” still means ”and you?” but it’s 3rd person instead of 2nd as it’s the formal way of asking.  Maybe then you want to say how old are you. Sono Francesca e ho 24 anni. I’m Francesca and I’m 24 years old. In Italian, we use ”have” to indicate our age, whether the English language uses to be. The literal translation here would be ”I’m Francesca and I have 24 years” which is incorrect in English. Expressing pleasure After you’ve done your introductions you might want to express pleasure after having met that person. Piacere di conoscerti. Nice to meet you. Piacere di conoscer[la]. Nice to meet you (formal). Il piacere è mio. The pleasure is mine. Lieto di conoscerla. I’m glad to meet you.