A0 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read Fácil

Saying Goodbye (Arrivederci)

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Practícalo

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Saying goodbye in Italian depends on how formal you want to be, but 'Arrivederci' is your universal go-to.

  • Use 'Arrivederci' for standard, polite situations (literally: 'until we see each other again').
  • Use 'Ciao' for friends, family, and people you know well (it means both hello and goodbye).
  • Use 'A presto' when you expect to see the person again very soon.
Greeting + (Time/Context) = Farewell

Common Farewell Phrases

Phrase Register Meaning Usage
Ciao
Informal
Bye
Friends/Family
Arrivederci
Neutral/Polite
Goodbye
General/Shops
Arrivederla
Very Formal
Goodbye
High-status
A presto
Neutral
See you soon
General
A domani
Neutral
See you tomorrow
General
Buona giornata
Polite
Have a good day
Professional

Meanings

These phrases are used to signal the end of an interaction or conversation. They vary based on the social distance between speakers.

1

Standard Polite

Used in shops, with strangers, or in professional settings.

“Arrivederci, signora.”

“Arrivederci e grazie.”

2

Casual/Friendly

Used with friends, family, and peers.

“Ciao, ci vediamo!”

“Ciao, a dopo!”

3

Time-Specific

Used when you know when you will meet again.

“A domani!”

“A lunedì!”

Reference Table

Reference table for Saying Goodbye (Arrivederci)
Form Structure Example
Standard
Arrivederci
Arrivederci!
Casual
Ciao
Ciao!
Time-specific
A + [Time]
A domani!
Polite
Buona + [Day/Evening]
Buona serata!
Professional
Arrivederla
Arrivederla, signore.
Future-oriented
A presto
A presto!
Phone
Ci sentiamo
Ci sentiamo, ciao.
Closing
È stato un piacere
È stato un piacere, arrivederci.

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Arrivederla

Arrivederla (Leaving a place)

Neutral
Arrivederci

Arrivederci (Leaving a place)

Informal
Ciao

Ciao (Leaving a place)

Jerga
Ci becchiamo

Ci becchiamo (Leaving a place)

Farewell Map

Farewells

Informal

  • Ciao Bye

Formal

  • Arrivederci Goodbye

Time

  • A domani Until tomorrow
Regístrate gratis para leer la explicación completa

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Ciao, Marco!

Bye, Marco!

2

Arrivederci, signora.

Goodbye, ma'am.

3

A presto!

See you soon!

4

Ciao, a domani.

Bye, see you tomorrow.

1

Arrivederci, ci vediamo lunedì.

Goodbye, see you Monday.

2

Ciao, a dopo!

Bye, see you later!

3

Buona giornata, arrivederci.

Have a good day, goodbye.

4

A stasera, ciao!

See you tonight, bye!

1

Arrivederla, dottore.

Goodbye, doctor.

2

Ci sentiamo presto, ciao.

We'll talk soon, bye.

3

Buon proseguimento di giornata.

Have a good rest of your day.

4

Alla prossima, allora!

Until next time, then!

1

È stato un piacere, arrivederci.

It was a pleasure, goodbye.

2

Ti faccio sapere, a presto.

I'll let you know, see you soon.

3

Buon lavoro e arrivederci.

Have a good work session and goodbye.

4

Ci aggiorniamo, ciao.

We'll update each other, bye.

1

La ringrazio per il tempo, arrivederla.

Thank you for your time, goodbye.

2

Stammi bene, ci vediamo.

Take care, see you.

3

Non vedo l'ora, a presto.

I can't wait, see you soon.

4

Ti auguro il meglio, ciao.

I wish you the best, bye.

1

È stato un incontro molto proficuo, arrivederla.

It was a very productive meeting, goodbye.

2

Ci si vede in giro, ciao.

See you around, bye.

3

Le auguro un buon fine settimana, arrivederci.

I wish you a good weekend, goodbye.

4

A risentirci, buona serata.

Talk to you soon, have a good evening.

Fácil de confundir

Saying Goodbye (Arrivederci) vs Ciao vs Arrivederci

Learners use Ciao for everyone.

Saying Goodbye (Arrivederci) vs Buon giorno vs Buona giornata

Mixing up greeting and farewell.

Saying Goodbye (Arrivederci) vs Arrivederci vs Arrivederla

When to use the formal 'la'.

Errores comunes

✗

Ciao, signore.

✓

Arrivederci, signore.

Ciao is too informal for a stranger.
✗

Arrivederci, mamma.

✓

Ciao, mamma.

Arrivederci is too formal for family.
✗

A domani, ciao.

✓

Ciao, a domani.

Word order is flexible, but 'Ciao' usually comes first.
✗

Arrivederci, a dopo.

✓

Ciao, a dopo.

A dopo is casual.
✗

Arrivederci, ci vediamo.

✓

Arrivederci.

Redundant.
✗

Buona giornata, ciao.

✓

Arrivederci, buona giornata.

Polite closing order.
✗

A presto, signore.

✓

Arrivederci, signore.

A presto implies familiarity.
✗

Arrivederla, ciao.

✓

Arrivederla.

Mixing registers.
✗

Buon giorno, arrivederci.

✓

Buona giornata, arrivederci.

Buon giorno is for arrival.
✗

A risentirci, ciao.

✓

A risentirci.

Redundant.
✗

Stammi bene, signore.

✓

Le auguro il meglio, signore.

Stammi bene is informal.

Patrones de oraciones

___, a domani!

Arrivederci, ___!

___, ci vediamo!

È stato un piacere, ___.

Real World Usage

Cafe constant

Arrivederci!

Texting very common

Ciao, a dopo!

Job Interview common

Arrivederla.

Social Media common

Ci vediamo!

Phone Call common

Ci sentiamo, ciao.

Food Delivery occasional

Grazie, arrivederci.

Regístrate gratis para ver todos los ejemplos
💡

When in doubt, use Arrivederci

It is never rude to use Arrivederci, even with friends.
⚠️

Don't use Ciao with bosses

It can be seen as disrespectful in traditional settings.
🎯

Combine phrases

Add 'a presto' to sound more natural.
💬

Hand gestures

A small wave is common with 'Ciao'.

Smart Tips

Always say 'Arrivederci' to the staff.

Leaving silently. → Arrivederci!

Use 'Buona giornata' instead of 'Ciao'.

Ciao, capo. → Buona giornata, capo.

Use 'Ci sentiamo' to imply future contact.

Ciao. → Ci sentiamo, ciao.

Use 'Ciao' to show warmth.

Arrivederci, Marco. → Ciao, Marco!

Pronunciación

ah-ree-veh-DEHR-chee

Arrivederci

The 'ci' sounds like 'chee'.

Friendly

Ciao! ↗

Rising intonation shows warmth.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Arrivederci: Arrivo (I arrive) + derci (to see each other). I arrive to see you again!

Asociación visual

Imagine a revolving door. Every time you leave, you wave 'Arrivederci' because you know you'll spin back around to see them again.

Rhyme

Ciao, ciao, see you now. Arrivederci, see you later, mercy!

Story

Marco leaves his house. He says 'Ciao' to his brother. He walks to the bakery and says 'Arrivederci' to the baker. He looks at his watch and says 'A domani' to his friend.

Word Web

CiaoArrivederciA prestoA domaniBuona giornataCi vediamo

Desafío

Next time you leave a room, say 'Arrivederci' or 'Ciao' out loud to yourself.

Notas culturales

People often use 'Ciao' more freely.

More formal titles are often used with farewells.

Handshakes often accompany farewells.

Arrivederci comes from 'a rivederci', meaning 'to see each other again'.

Inicios de conversación

“

Come si dice goodbye in italiano?

“

Quando usi 'Ciao'?

“

Cosa dici a un dottore?

“

Come chiudi una mail formale?

Temas para diario

Write about your day and how you said goodbye to people.
Describe a formal meeting and the farewell.
Compare formal and informal farewells.
Write a dialogue between a boss and employee.

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

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Test Yourself

Which is formal? Opción múltiple

Ciao or Arrivederci?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Arrivederci
Arrivederci is polite.
Fill in the blank.

___, a domani!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ciao
Ciao is common with time markers.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ciao, signore.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Arrivederci, signore.
Signore requires formal.
Order the words. Sentence Building

a / domani / ciao

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ciao a domani
Correct order.
Match the register. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ciao-Informal
Correct match.
Make it formal. Sentence Transformation

Ciao, Marco.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Arrivederci, Marco.
Arrivederci is more formal.
Which is for sleep? Opción múltiple

Arrivederci or Buonanotte?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buonanotte
Buonanotte is for sleep.
Fill in the blank.

È stato un piacere, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: arrivederci
Formal context.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Which is formal? Opción múltiple

Ciao or Arrivederci?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Arrivederci
Arrivederci is polite.
Fill in the blank.

___, a domani!

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ciao
Ciao is common with time markers.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Ciao, signore.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Arrivederci, signore.
Signore requires formal.
Order the words. Sentence Building

a / domani / ciao

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ciao a domani
Correct order.
Match the register. Match Pairs

Match formal/informal.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ciao-Informal
Correct match.
Make it formal. Sentence Transformation

Ciao, Marco.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Arrivederci, Marco.
Arrivederci is more formal.
Which is for sleep? Opción múltiple

Arrivederci or Buonanotte?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Buonanotte
Buonanotte is for sleep.
Fill in the blank.

È stato un piacere, ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: arrivederci
Formal context.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

Yes, it means both hello and goodbye.

It is neutral/polite.

The formal version of Arrivederci.

When you see someone tomorrow.

Only if used with strangers.

Arrivederci or Buona giornata.

Ciao ciao is just a repetitive, friendly goodbye.

It sounds a bit cold.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Regístrate gratis para practicar

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Adiós / Hasta luego

Italian 'Ciao' is much more common than Spanish 'Adiós' for friends.

French high

Au revoir

French doesn't have a 'Ciao' equivalent that is as universal.

German high

Auf Wiedersehen

German is much more formal in its farewells.

Japanese low

Sayonara

Japanese has honorifics that change the verb entirely.

Arabic moderate

Ma'a salama

Arabic farewells often invoke God.

Chinese high

Zai jian

Chinese doesn't have the same register-based variations.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Asking 'How are you?'

Related Grammar Rules

A0

Introducing Yourself (Mi chiamo...)
A0

Basic Politeness (Grazie, Prego)
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