Hover a line for its translation; hover a word for its meaning. Tap 🔊 to hear it.
Generate a brand-new dialog on any topic, using this lesson's 0 vocab words — plus any words you add below.
Sign in to generate dialogues. It needs a pass — the first ten lessons of every course are free either way.
The goodbye that takes forty minutes
Leaving an Italian gathering is a process, not an event. The announcement that you are going is the opening move; what follows is a stretch of conversation in the doorway, often the best of the evening, and a visitor who says goodbye and then actually walks out has done something slightly abrupt. Budget for it, and understand that the lingering is the affection. The kissing is simpler than it looks. Two kisses, one per cheek, barely touching, more sound than contact, and you go to your own left first — right cheek to right cheek — which is the reverse of the French habit and the source of most collisions. It happens between women, and between a man and a woman, among friends and family; two men who are not related usually shake hands, though a handshake pulled into a one-armed hug is common and warm. With strangers and in any professional setting, a handshake is correct and kissing is not. Two smaller habits worth copying. Italians distinguish ci vediamo, see you, from ci sentiamo, we'll speak — used when the next contact will be a call or a message rather than a meeting, and there is no neat English equivalent. And requests to pass on a greeting are constant and expected: salutami tuo fratello, salutami i tuoi. Answering with lo farò, or simply grazie, altrettanto, is the whole ritual. It costs nothing and it is noticed when it is missing.