buongiorno
/ˌbwɔnˈd͡ʒor.no/
The English phrase "bonjour" is translated into Italian as buongiorno.
buongiorno is a common and polite way to say good morning or good day in Italian.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is a compound of buon (good) and giorno (day).
How does it change in a sentence?
buongiorno is used as both a greeting and a noun, such as in the phrase un caro buongiorno (a warm good day).
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˌbwɔnˈdʒor.no/. It has 3 syllables, and the stress is on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use the French bonjour instead of the Italian buongiorno.
Did you know?
- The word giorno in buongiorno shares a common ancestor with the English word 'year', as both stem from a root referring to a cycle of time.
- The word giorno comes from the Latin 'diurnus', which is the direct ancestor of the English word 'journal'.
- While buongiorno is common, if you enter a shop or a café, it is often more natural to use the more formal Buongiorno with a slight nod or even just a polite Salve to acknowledge the staff.
Examples in context
- Ciao, Marco!Hello, Marco!
- Salutone, Francesca!Hi, Francesca!
- Buongiorno a tutti!Good morning to everyone!
- Buongiorno, come sta?Good morning, how are you?
Example conversation
Alessandro and Giulia meet at a coffee shop in the morning.
- AlessandroBuongiorno, Giulia!Good morning, Giulia!
- GiuliaBuongiorno, Alessandro!Good morning, Alessandro!
- AlessandroPrendi un caffè?Are you having a coffee?
- GiuliaSì, ne prendo uno.Yes, I'll have one.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry buongiorno, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries buongiorno, CC BY-SA 4.0.
