Buona serata
The English phrase "have a nice evening" is translated into Italian as Buona serata.
Buona serata is a common way to wish someone a nice evening in Italian. It is used as a polite greeting when saying goodbye to someone in the evening.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase Buona serata literally means "good evening-time", where buona means "good" and serata refers to the duration or the period of the evening.
Which one should you use?
Use Buona giornata to wish someone a nice day during the daytime, and Buona serata to wish them a nice evening. Additionally, while Buona serata is used when leaving someone during the evening, Buona notte is used specifically when someone is going to sleep or when the night is ending.
When do people say it?
In addition to wishing someone a nice evening, you might also use Divertiti stasera to say "Enjoy your evening".
Did you know?
- If you use Buona notte to a waiter when leaving a shop at 7:00 PM, it sounds as if you are telling them to go to bed immediately. Stick to Buona serata to avoid the implication that it is time to sleep.
- The word serata is also used to describe a specific social event, such as a party or a concert, regardless of the actual time it starts.
- In many Italian regions, the transition from Buona giornata to Buona serata happens quite early in the late afternoon. You might hear people switch to the 'evening' version much sooner than an English speaker would say 'good evening'.
Examples in context
- Ha passato una buona serata?Did you have a nice evening?This sentence is useful for asking if someone had a nice evening using Buona serata.Tatoeba #2829330 by Guybrush88, translation #1886149 by CK
- Buona serata a tutti!Have a nice evening, everyone!
- Grazie, buona serata anche a te.Thanks, have a nice evening too.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chiara and Francesco are leaving a cafe at night.
- ChiaraCiao Francesco, a domani!Bye Francesco, see you tomorrow!
- FrancescoVa bene, buona serata Chiara!Alright, have a nice evening Chiara!
- ChiaraGrazie, anche a te.Thanks, you too.
- FrancescoA domani!See you tomorrow!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
