bello vederti
In Italian, 'good to see you' is translated as bello vederti.
The phrase is a friendly greeting used when meeting someone you already know. In casual conversation, bello vederti is often used interchangeably with che piacere vederti, which means 'what a pleasure to see you'.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, bello vederti means 'beautiful to see you'.
Which one should you use?
While bello vederti focuses on the pleasure of the sight, you can also use more specific variations like È un piacere rivederti (It's a pleasure to see you again), È bello rivederti (It's nice to see you again), Sono felice di rivederti (I'm happy to see you) or È fantastico incontrarti di nuovo (It's fantastic to meet you again).
How does it change in a sentence?
The choice of form changes based on who you are addressing. Use bello vederti for one person in an informal context, such as a friend or family member. Use bello vederla for a single person in a formal setting. If you are greeting a group of people, use the plural form bello vedervi to say 'good to see you all'.
Did you know?
- In Italy, saying bello vederti is often accompanied by a double kiss on the cheeks in social settings, a gesture that might feel overly intimate to English speakers.
- The word bello is inherited from the Latin bellus, which originally meant 'pretty' or 'charming' and was often used to describe children.
- If you use the adjective bello to describe a person rather than the act of seeing them, you are complimenting their physical appearance rather than your feelings.
Examples in context
- Hey, è bello vederti.Hey, it's good to see you.This sentence shows how to use bello vederti in a casual greeting.Tatoeba #4057343 by Guybrush88, translation #3575357 by CK
- È bello vederti.It's good to see you.This sentence demonstrates a simple way to say 'It's good to see you' using bello vederti.Tatoeba #2933610 by Guybrush88, translation #954081 by CK
- Che bel sorriso! È fantastico incontrarti di nuovo!What a beautiful smile! It's fantastic to see you again!
- Dove sei stato/a? È bello rivederti!Where have you been? It's nice to see you again!
- Che bello vederti qui!How good to see you here!
Example conversation
Matteo and Sofia meet by chance at a cafe.
- MatteoCiao Sofia, bello vederti!Hi Sofia, good to see you!
- SofiaCiao Matteo! Come stai?Hi Matteo! How are you?
- MatteoTutto bene, e tu?Everything is fine, and you?
- SofiaBene, grazie!Good, thanks!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bello, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
