A guide to saying it like a local
How to Say "Long time no see" in Italian
Express 'long time no see' in Italian with this common, friendly phrase. Perfect for friends and acquaintances.
È da tanto che non ci vediamo!
eh da TAN-toh keh non chi veh-dee-AH-mohcasual
Italian TTS · 0:01
Use this when you bump into someone you haven't seen in months or even years, like an old school friend or a neighbor you haven't run into lately. It's a warm way to acknowledge the gap in your meeting.
Alternatives
- Quanto tempo!A shorter, very common exclamation of surprise at not seeing someone.
- Da quanto tempo!Similar to 'Quanto tempo!', but emphasizes the duration.
Ways to get it wrong
Using 'vedere' instead of 'vediamo'
The verb needs to be conjugated for 'we' (noi) in this specific expression.
Forgetting 'ci'
The pronoun 'ci' (us/each other) is essential for the meaning of 'seeing each other'.
A small cultural note
While 'È da tanto che non ci vediamo!' is widely understood, some regions might have their own specific, more colloquial ways of saying this.
Frequently asked
How to say long time no see in Italian casual?
The most common casual way is 'È da tanto che non ci vediamo!'. It's friendly and expresses surprise at the time passed.
Is 'È da tanto che non ci vediamo' formal or informal?
This phrase is generally informal, used with friends and people you know well. For a more formal setting, you'd likely use a different greeting altogether.
What's a shorter way to say long time no see in Italian?
You can use 'Quanto tempo!' or 'Da quanto tempo!', which are shorter exclamations meaning 'So much time!' or 'Since when!'
