buon Halloween
/ˈbwɔn ˈal.lo.win/word by word
To say "happy Halloween" in Italian, use buon Halloween.
buon Halloween is the most common way to wish someone a happy Halloween. You can also use the casual expression Divertiti alla grande a Halloween! to say "Have a blast on Halloween!", or the playful greeting Che questa notte sia piena di dolcetti e scherzetti! which means "May this night be full of treats and pranks!"
Meaning: holiday greeting (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
The word buon is a truncated form of buono, meaning "good", used here as an adjective to modify the holiday.
How does it change in a sentence?
Because Halloween is treated as a masculine noun in Italian, the masculine singular form buon is used.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /ˈbwɔn ˈal.lo.win/. The stress is on the first syllable.
Did you know?
- While buon Halloween is used today, Italy has its own ancient autumn tradition called Il giorno dei morti, which focuses on honoring ancestors rather than spooky costumes.
- In some parts of Italy, particularly in the north, the tradition of dressing up is sometimes associated with the phrase Mascherata, which refers more to the act of wearing a mask than the holiday itself.
- While Americans use 'trick or treat', an Italian child might playfully ask for dolcetti o scherzetti, which relies on the rhythmic rhyming of the two words.
Examples in context
- Buon Halloween!Happy Halloween!This example shows the standard way to say buon Halloween.Tatoeba #379522 by Pharamp, translation #34980 by gin
- Buon Halloween a tutti!Happy Halloween to everyone!
- Ti auguro un buon Halloween.I wish you a happy Halloween.
Example conversation
Alessandro and Martina are walking through a decorated street.
- AlessandroCiao Martina, buon Halloween!Hi Martina, happy Halloween!
- MartinaGrazie, anche a te!Thanks, to you too!
- AlessandroHai visto le decorazioni?Did you see the decorations?
- MartinaSì, sono bellissime.Yes, they are beautiful.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (buon, Halloween) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
