Good morning! How are you?
bwon-JOR-no — 'bu' and 'on' merge into 'bwon'; stress the second syllable.
Use this every morning when you encounter neighbours in the hallway, at the letterboxes, or on the street. In Italy, greeting neighbours is a social obligation — failing to say buongiorno is considered rude and creates social distance.
Buongiorno is the standard morning greeting, used until around lunchtime (13:00-14:00). After that, buon pomeriggio or simply salve is used. Come va? (how's it going?) is a casual social question — the expected response is brief and positive (bene, grazie — fine, thanks), not a detailed account of your health.
Buonasera, signora Rossi!
Good evening, Mrs Rossi!
Buonasera used from afternoon/early evening; adding the surname is respectful with older neighbours.
Salve! Tutto bene?
Hello! Everything OK?
Salve is neutral (not time-specific); tutto bene? is a very common casual greeting.
Ciao! Come stai?
Hi! How are you?
Ciao and stai are informal/tu form; use only with neighbours you know well.
The Italian greeting ritual in condominiums has specific social rules: you greet everyone you make eye contact with, hold lifts briefly for people approaching, and say goodbye when leaving. In Italian apartment buildings, this daily social ritual maintains community cohesion. Newcomers who skip it are quickly labelled 'scostante' (aloof) — a social disadvantage in the close-knit world of Italian condominium life.