Italian word of the day: Auguri
Here's one word you won't want to do without this holiday season.
Auguri! is a word you'll hear thrown around a lot if you spend any time in Italy over the holiday season.
Literally meaning '(best/good) wishes', it's also a popular way to greet someone during a shared celebration, and is used interchangeably with expressions like buone feste (happy holidays) and buon Natale (happy Christmas).
Auguri!'s are regularly exchanged between family, friends and even strangers in Italy on or in the lead up to a major annual festival, like Christmas, New Year's, or Easter; you can respond with another auguri, or altrettanto; 'the same to you'.
You'll often hear it preceded by the quantifier tanti, to mean 'many happy wishes', and you can also use the verb augurare (to wish) to give someone your personalised well-wishes.
- Salve Elisa, tanti auguri a voi!
- Altrettanto!
- Hello Elisa, a very happy holidays to all of you!
- And to you!
Vi auguriamo un buon Natale e felice anno nuovo.
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
You'd also say auguri to individuals being feted at a recurring personal celebration, like someone whose birthday it is, a couple on their anniversary, or a mother on Mother's Day; in this case the person would simply respond with grazie.
If you want to add emphasis, as well as tanti auguri or even tantissimi auguri, you can wish someone auguroni (great big wishes).
Buon compleanno Sara, auguroni!
A massive happy birthday to you, Sara!
There's some debate over whether you should wish someone auguri as congratulations for specific, non-recurring events like weddings, graduations, or the birth of a child.
Some say it's fine, while others argue it could be seen as inappropriate as it raises the possibility that something could go wrong (hence the need for well wishes) - in which case it's safest to use congratulazioni.
Congratulazioni agli sposi!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
From all of us at the Local, tantissimi auguri to you this holiday season.
Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Make sure you don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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Auguri! is a word you'll hear thrown around a lot if you spend any time in Italy over the holiday season.
Literally meaning '(best/good) wishes', it's also a popular way to greet someone during a shared celebration, and is used interchangeably with expressions like buone feste (happy holidays) and buon Natale (happy Christmas).
Auguri!'s are regularly exchanged between family, friends and even strangers in Italy on or in the lead up to a major annual festival, like Christmas, New Year's, or Easter; you can respond with another auguri, or altrettanto; 'the same to you'.
You'll often hear it preceded by the quantifier tanti, to mean 'many happy wishes', and you can also use the verb augurare (to wish) to give someone your personalised well-wishes.
- Salve Elisa, tanti auguri a voi!
- Altrettanto!
- Hello Elisa, a very happy holidays to all of you!
- And to you!
Vi auguriamo un buon Natale e felice anno nuovo.
We wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
You'd also say auguri to individuals being feted at a recurring personal celebration, like someone whose birthday it is, a couple on their anniversary, or a mother on Mother's Day; in this case the person would simply respond with grazie.
If you want to add emphasis, as well as tanti auguri or even tantissimi auguri, you can wish someone auguroni (great big wishes).
Buon compleanno Sara, auguroni!
A massive happy birthday to you, Sara!
There's some debate over whether you should wish someone auguri as congratulations for specific, non-recurring events like weddings, graduations, or the birth of a child.
Some say it's fine, while others argue it could be seen as inappropriate as it raises the possibility that something could go wrong (hence the need for well wishes) - in which case it's safest to use congratulazioni.
Congratulazioni agli sposi!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
From all of us at the Local, tantissimi auguri to you this holiday season.
Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Make sure you don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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