benvenuto a
/ben.veˈnu.to a/word by word
The Italian phrase for "welcome to" is benvenuto a.
benvenuto a is a greeting used when welcoming someone to a specific place or a specific event.
How does it change in a sentence?
In Italian, the word for "welcome" must change to match the gender and number of the person you are addressing. If you are welcoming a single female, you must change the masculine benvenuto to the feminine benvenuta. If you are welcoming a group of people, you use the plural form benvenuti for a group of men or a mixed group of men and women or benvenute if the group consists entirely of women.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 3rd syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often forget that benvenuto must agree in gender and number with the person being welcomed, unlike the English word "welcome".
Did you know?
- The word benvenuto can be used as a noun to describe a welcome or as a name. It is a traditional given name for men in Italy.
- While benvenuto is used to greet someone arriving, the phrase prego is used to answer 'thank you'. Italian does not use the same word for both 'welcome' and 'you are welcome'.
- If you are welcoming someone to a place they have visited many times, an Italian might say bentornato instead of benvenuto. This specifically means 'welcome back'.
Examples in context
- Benvenuto a casa mia.Welcome to my home.This sentence is useful for practicing welcoming someone to a home with benvenuto a.Tatoeba #2848090 by Guybrush88, translation #2228256 by cathrynm
- Benvenuto a Boston, Tom.Welcome to Boston, Tom.This sentence is useful for practicing welcoming someone to a city with benvenuto a.Tatoeba #4503286 by Guybrush88, translation #4502865 by CK
- Benvenuto a San Francisco.Welcome to San Francisco.Tatoeba #2721140 by Guybrush88, translation #53912 by CK
- Benvenuti alla conferenza internazionale sulla cultura italiana.Welcome to the international conference on Italian culture.
- Benvenuto al nostro prestigioso hotel.Welcome to our prestigious hotel.
- Benvenuti a casa mia!Welcome to my house!
- Benvenuto nella nostra squadra di calcio!Welcome to our soccer team!
- 28 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro arrives at the Italian restaurant where Giulia works.
- GiuliaBenvenuto a cena, Alessandro!Welcome to dinner, Alessandro!
- AlessandroGrazie, Giulia. Sei molto gentile.Thank you, Giulia. You are very kind.
- GiuliaPrego! Siediti pure.You're welcome! Please, have a seat.
- AlessandroGrazie mille.Thank you very much.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (benvenuto, a) and can differ in connected speech.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
