Italian › Phrases › Merry Christmas
Buon Natale is correct and every Italian will understand it. But if you listen to an Italian family in December, the word you will actually hear over and over is auguri — and it is worth knowing why.
Every Christmas wish, and when to use it
| Italian | Say it like | When to use it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buon Natale | bwon nah-TAH-leh | Merry Christmas — the standard | |
| Buone Feste | BWOH-neh FES-teh | “Happy holidays” — covers the whole season, the most-used one | |
| Tanti auguri | TAHN-tee ow-GOO-ree | “Many good wishes” — the all-purpose Italian wish | |
| Auguri! | ow-GOO-ree | Just “wishes!” — shouted across a room, used for everything | |
| Buon Natale e Felice Anno Nuovo | bwon nah-TAH-leh eh feh-LEE-cheh AHN-noh NWOH-voh | The full card greeting | |
| Buon appetito | bwohn ahp-peh-TEE-toh | Said before the Christmas Eve meal starts |
1 Auguri does most of the work Tanti auguri
Auguri means wishes, and Italians use it for birthdays, weddings, name days, new jobs and Christmas alike. At Christmas it is warmer than Buon Natale because it is aimed at the person rather than the date. If you learn one word here, learn this one.
2 Christmas does not end on the 25th La Befana
The season runs to 6 January, when La Befana — a kindly old witch on a broomstick — leaves sweets for good children and coal for the rest. Many Italian children get more presents from her than from Babbo Natale.
And for the New Year
| Italian | Say it like | When to use it | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Felice Anno Nuovo | feh-LEE-cheh AHN-noh NWOH-voh | Happy New Year — the full form | |
| Buon anno | bwon AHN-noh | The short one everybody actually says | |
| Buon anno nuovo | bwon AHN-noh NWOH-voh | A middle option, warm and common |
The words around the tree
| Italian | Say it like | What it is | Listen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natale | nah-TAH-leh | Christmas — from the Latin for birth | |
| La Vigilia | lah vee-JEE-lyah | Christmas Eve, and its meal — the fish supper | |
| Babbo Natale | BAHB-boh nah-TAH-leh | Father Christmas — literally “Daddy Christmas” | |
| l’albero di Natale | LAHL-beh-roh dee nah-TAH-leh | The Christmas tree | |
| il presepe | eel preh-SEH-peh | The nativity scene — in most homes, bigger than the tree | |
| La Befana | lah beh-FAH-nah | The witch who brings gifts on 6 January |
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