'Buongiorno', 'buon viaggio' and other good wishes
Italian builds most of its everyday greetings and good wishes the same way: buon or buona (good) followed by a noun. Buongiorno is literally good day, buonasera is good evening, buon viaggio is good trip and buona fortuna is good luck. Once you notice the pattern, you will hear it everywhere: in shops, at the table, at the station.
English speakers tend to trip over three things. The first is spelling: some of these are written as one word and others as two. The second is timing: buongiorno and buonasera depend on the time of day, and both work when you arrive and when you leave. The third is choosing between buon and buona, which depends on the gender of the noun.
The formula is simple: buon + masculine noun, buona + feminine noun. Giorno, viaggio, appetito, Natale and compleanno are masculine, so they take buon. Sera, notte and fortuna are feminine, so they take buona. Why the masculine form is shortened to buon is covered in its own article on shortened adjectives, so here we just use it.
The three time-of-day greetings are normally written as one word: buongiorno, buonasera, buonanotte. The wishes for occasions stay as two words: buon viaggio, buon appetito, buon Natale, buon compleanno, buona fortuna. A good rule of thumb: if it tells the time of day, glue it together; if it wishes someone well for something, keep it apart.
Unlike English, where you might just say hi or bye, Italian often uses these wishes as the whole greeting or goodbye. The same pattern gives you buon lavoro (have a good day at work), buona giornata (have a nice day), buon fine settimana (have a good weekend) and buone vacanze (enjoy your holidays).
Buongiorno covers good morning, good day and a polite hello. Use it from morning until about mid-afternoon, both when you walk in and when you walk out.
From mid or late afternoon onwards, switch to buonasera. Like buongiorno, it works for arriving and for leaving.
Buonanotte is different: it is only for parting late at night or before going to bed. You never walk into a room saying it.
These are not greetings but wishes, said at a specific moment. Buon appetito is said before a meal starts. The usual reply is grazie, altrettanto or grazie, anche a te.
Buon viaggio is for someone who is setting off on a journey.
Buon Natale and buon compleanno mark special days. For birthdays, many Italians say tanti auguri instead, or both together.
Buona fortuna uses buona because fortuna is feminine.
- Do not greet someone with buonanotte when you arrive at a late dinner. Say buonasera, and keep buonanotte for when you leave or go to bed.
- Do not use buongiorno at 7 p.m. Once the afternoon is well under way, Italians switch to buonasera, often earlier than English speakers expect.
- Do not add an apostrophe to buon appetito. The masculine buon never takes one, even before a vowel.
- Match the noun: buona fortuna, buona giornata, but buon viaggio, buon lavoro.
- Always capitalise Natale.
To greet or wish someone well in Italian, put buon before a masculine noun and buona before a feminine one. Write the time-of-day greetings as one word (buongiorno, buonasera, buonanotte) and the occasion wishes as two (buon viaggio, buona fortuna). Use buongiorno and buonasera both for hello and goodbye, but save buonanotte for the end of the night.