Ways to say it
| Italian |
|---|
| cordiali saluti |
| distinti saluti |
These phrases are used as a polite closing for a letter or email. They are typically placed at the very end of the message, often on a line by themselves before the sender's name.
What does it mean word for word?
cordiali saluti literally means "cordial greetings", while distinti saluti literally means "distinguished greetings".
Which one should you use?
cordiali saluti is a standard polite closing suitable for business or professional emails where a slightly warmer tone is appropriate. In contrast, distinti saluti is more formal and more distant, making it suitable for official or highly professional correspondence where you do not know the recipient personally.
How does it change in a sentence?
In both cordiali saluti and distinti saluti, the adjective is used in its plural form to agree with the plural noun saluti.
Did you know?
- In casual Italian emails, people often replace these phrases with un abbraccio, which translates to 'a hug' regardless of the gender of the sender or receiver.
- The word cordiali shares a root with the Italian word for heart, cuore, meaning these greetings are literally 'from the heart'.
- Using cordiali saluti in a legal dispute or a stern reprimand can actually make the tone feel colder and more sarcastic than using no closing at all.
Examples in context
- Porgigli i miei più cordiali saluti.Give him my best regards.This sentence is useful for showing how to convey someone's best regards to a third party using cordiali saluti.Tatoeba #12751089 by Guybrush88, translation #326825 by CK
- Per favore, porgi i miei più cordiali saluti a Tom.Please give my best regards to Tom.This sentence is useful for asking someone to pass your best regards to another person using cordiali saluti.Tatoeba #12751197 by Guybrush88, translation #37398 by CM
- Cordiali saluti.Best regards.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Matteo is finishing an email to a client, Martina.
- MatteoHo quasi finito l'email per Martina.I've almost finished the email for Martina.
- MartinaCome l'hai chiusa?How did you close it?
- MatteoHo scritto semplicemente 'cordiali saluti'.I simply wrote 'best regards'.
- MartinaPerfetto, è molto professionale.Perfect, it is very professional.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “best regards” translations and entries cordiali saluti, distinti saluti, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
