Nice to meet you!
pia-CE-re di co-no-SCER-ti. The 'sc' in 'conoscerti' before 'e' makes a 'sh' sound.
Use this at the end of an introduction — after names have been exchanged. It is warm and genuine. A slightly shorter version 'piacere!' is also used as both the greeting and the response when shaking hands.
'Piacere' (pleasure) here acts as an exclamation. The full phrase 'piacere di conoscerti' means 'pleasure to meet you' (literally 'pleasure to know you'). The response can be 'piacere mio!' (the pleasure is mine) or simply 'piacere!' mirrored back.
È un piacere conoscerti.
It is a pleasure to meet you.
Full sentence form — slightly more formal
Felice di conoscerti!
Happy to meet you!
'Felice' (happy) adds warmth and expressiveness
Finalmente ci conosciamo!
We finally meet!
Used when you have heard about the person before meeting them
In Italy, first meetings typically involve a handshake ('stretta di mano') in formal contexts, or kisses on both cheeks ('baci sulle guance') in casual social settings — usually two kisses, right cheek first. The cheek-kiss is extremely common between women and between mixed company, but less so between men who are not already close friends.