Meaningful phrases, in Italian, to express a fond farewell.

September 20, 2012 11:57 AM

What are some phrases in Italian that convey "goodbye" in a not-so-casual, but rather sentimental if not hopeful way?

I'm in search of Italian phrases that properly expresses goodbye, but in a somewhat sentimental way.

For example, "spero che ci vediamo presto"-- I hope we'll see each other soon.

Even something not so subtle, such as "I cherish our time together."

Thanks!!!

posted by chloe.gelsomino to writing & language (5 answers total)

Your first example is a good one; replace "spero che" with "magari" and you get to use one of those great not-so-translatable words that expresses hopefulness.
posted by hungrybruno at 12:18 PM on September 20, 2012 [3 favorites]

Without knowing exactly what flavour of sentimental you want to go for:

alla prossima - until the next time
apprezzo i belli momenti trascorsi insieme - lit. "I appreciate the beautiful moments passed together", roughly along the lines of "I cherish our time together"
stai nel mio cuore - you're in my heart
ti voglio bene - lit. "I wish you well" but is analogous to the platonic version of "I love you" (ie between friends, family members, people you are seeing but haven't yet reached that capital-L Love declaration yet...). You'll also see this abbreviated TVB
posted by romakimmy at 1:45 PM on September 20, 2012 [3 favorites]

Thanks, romakimmy and hungrybruno. All very lovely and useful!
posted by chloe.gelsomino at 1:57 PM on September 20, 2012

apprezzo i belli momenti trascorsi insieme

For the sake of grammatical correctness, that should be bei, not belli. It's also quite formal-sounding, so may or may not be appropriate depending on context.

Ti voglio bene is definitely for very close friends for years, or family members, or someone you have romantic feelings toward and want to let them no without committing to Serious Love. Wield with care.

Some other options (again, without more context, it's hard to know what kind of suggestions are useful):

non vedo l'ora di rivederti - lit., "I can't wait to see you again"
a presto - "see you soon" (very casual, possibly more than you want here)

I like spero che ci (ri)vediamo presto, even better with the magari edit proposed by hungrybruno. Another couple of variations on the same theme:

magari ci possiamo rivedere presto - more or less, "maybe we can see each other again soon...?"
spero di rivederti ancora (al più presto) - "I hope to see you again (very soon)"

Just a few more arrows for your quiver.
posted by Superplin at 2:10 PM on September 20, 2012

I'm not Italian, but I've lived there for a while and I really like the romantic plaintive with a question...Ci vediamo presto, no?

Works for me! :)
posted by snsranch at 5:44 PM on September 20, 2012