How to Say Goodbye in Italian

In the previous lesson, you learned how to greet people when you meet them. Now it's time to learn how to say goodbye.

In this lesson, you'll find all the parting phrases and expressions you need to know to become fluent in Italian.

How to Say Goodbye in Italian

There are two main ways to say goodbye in Italian:

Ciao

Ciao means both hello and goodbye.

It’s used in informal situations — for example, with friends, family, or people you know well.

Arrivederci

Arrivederci is a more formal way of saying goodbye.

Use it when speaking to someone you want to show respect to, such as your boss, elderly people, or strangers.

Other Parting Phrases

Besides ciao and arrivederci, there are many other ways to say goodbye in Italian.

Even if they are a bit less common, you'll still hear them a lot in everyday conversations.

Ci vediamo

See you

This literally means "we’ll see each other."

You can add more information to say exactly when you'll see the person again:

A domani

See you tomorrow

Just like ci vediamo, this phrase can also be customized:

Other common expressions:

• A più tardi
• See you later
• A fra poco
• See you in a bit
• A presto
• See you soon
• Alla prossima
• See you next time

Stammi bene, Statemi bene

• Stammi bene – when speaking to one person
• Statemi bene – when speaking to more than one person

Arrivederla

This is a more formal version of arrivederci, but it’s rarely used in modern conversation.

Addio

Farewell

This word is used when you don’t expect to see the person again.

It’s very formal and often quite emotional, so use it only when it’s a real goodbye.

Example Conversations