Ciao, piacere di conoscerti
The English phrase "hi, nice to meet you" is translated into Italian as Ciao, piacere di conoscerti.
This phrase is a friendly greeting used when meeting someone for the first time.
What does it mean word for word?
The part piacere di conoscerti literally translates to "pleasure to know you".
Which one should you use?
In casual settings, Italians often shorten the phrase to just Piacere when introducing themselves. For a more formal approach, you can use Buongiorno, piacere di conoscerla. or Salve, è un piacere conoscerla.
How does it change in a sentence?
When speaking in a formal setting, you should use piacere di conoscerla instead of piacere di conoscerti.
Did you know?
- The common greeting ciao has an unexpectedly humble origin, evolving from the Venetian word s-ciao, which meant 'your slave'. It originally functioned as a way to say 'I am your humble servant' or 'I am at your service'.
- In Italy, the physical gesture accompanying piacere is often a firm handshake, but avoiding a hand-kiss in modern introductions is the standard, despite historical traditions of nobility.
- In professional Italian introductions, the word salve is often preferred over ciao because it is a 'neutral' greeting that avoids the risk of being too informal or too stiff.
Examples in context
- Ciao, piacere di conoscerti!Hi, nice to meet you!
- Ciao, piacere di conoscerti, sono Marco.Hi, nice to meet you, I am Marco.
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are introduced by a mutual friend at a party.
- GiuliaCiao, piacere di conoscerti, Alessandro!Hi, nice to meet you, Alessandro!
- AlessandroCiao Giulia, piacere mio!Hi Giulia, my pleasure!
- GiuliaDi dove sei?Where are you from?
- AlessandroSono di Roma.I am from Rome.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ciao, di, piacere, CC BY-SA 4.0.
