Lesson 2: Basic Greetings and Introductions

Common Greetings

1. Basic Greetings
   • “Ciao” – Hi/Hello/Goodbye (informal)
   • “Buongiorno” – Good morning/Good day
   • “Buonasera” – Good evening
   • “Buonanotte” – Good night
   • “Salve” – Hello (neutral/formal)
2. Time-Specific Greetings
   • “Buon pomeriggio” – Good afternoon
   • “Buona giornata” – Have a good day
   • “Buona serata” – Have a good evening
3. Polite Expressions
   • “Come stai?” – How are you? (informal)
   • “Come sta?” – How are you? (formal)
   • “Tutto bene?” – Is everything okay?
   • “Bene, grazie” – Fine, thank you
   • “E tu?” / “E Lei?” – And you? (informal/formal)

Introducing Yourself and Others

1. Self-Introductions
   • “Mi chiamo…” – My name is…
   • “Sono…” – I am…
   • “Piacere di conoscerti” – Nice to meet you (informal)
   • “Piacere di conoscerLa” – Nice to meet you (formal)
2. Introducing Others
   • “Questo è…” – This is… (male)
   • “Questa è…” – This is… (female)
   • “Lui/Lei è…” – He/She is…
   • “Ti presento…” – I introduce you to… (informal)
   • “Le presento…” – I introduce you to… (formal)
3. Sharing Personal Information
   • “Sono di…” – I am from…
   • “Abito a…” – I live in…
   • “Ho [numero] anni” – I am [number] years old
   • “Lavoro come…” – I work as…

Formal vs. Informal Speech

1. When to Use Formal vs. Informal
   • Contexts requiring formal speech (e.g., workplace, strangers, older people)
   • Contexts allowing informal speech (e.g., friends, family, peers)
2. Formal Speech Conventions
   • Use of “Lei” for you (formal)
   • Polite phrases and expressions (e.g., “Per favore” – Please, “Grazie” – Thank you, “Mi scusi” – Excuse me)
3. Informal Speech Conventions
   • Use of “tu” for you (informal)
   • Casual phrases and expressions (e.g., “Ciao” – Hi/Bye, “Grazie mille” – Thanks a lot)

Simple Dialogue Practice

1. Greetings Dialogue
   • Example dialogue for meeting someone for the first time
   • Practice dialogue with different times of the day
   • Example:
     • A: “Ciao! Come stai?”
     • B: “Ciao! Bene, grazie. E tu?”
2. Introduction Dialogue
   • Example dialogue for introducing yourself
   • Practice dialogue for introducing someone else
   • Example:
     • A: “Mi chiamo Luca. Piacere di conoscerti.”
     • B: “Piacere mio, sono Maria.”
3. Formal vs. Informal Dialogue
   • Example of a formal introduction
   • Example of an informal introduction
   • Example:
     • Formal:
       • A: “Buongiorno, sono il dottor Rossi. Piacere di conoscerLa.”
       • B: “Buongiorno, piacere mio. Sono la signora Bianchi.”
     • Informal:
       • A: “Ciao, sono Marco. E tu?”
       • B: “Ciao, Marco. Sono Laura.”
4. Role-Playing Exercises
   • Role-playing scenarios to practice greetings and introductions
   • Situations: Meeting a new colleague, introducing a friend, greeting a neighbor
5. Interactive Exercises
   • Fill-in-the-blank dialogues
   • Matching exercises for formal and informal phrases
   • Audio listening and repeating exercises
6. Review and Self-Assessment
   • Summary of key phrases and rules
   • Self-assessment checklist to track progress
   • Additional resources for further practice