Whether you want to wish your Italian relatives well on their wedding or compliment the cook on a piatto buonissimo (excellent dish), you'll want to know how to say “congratulations” in Italian.
It’s quite straightforward, but there are a couple of key differences to keep in mind if you want to do it the way Italians actually do.
Learn the most common phrases they use with each other so’ll be able to celebrate with them in a very natural way.
Congratulazioni – Congratulations
Pronunciation: Kohn-grah-too-lah-tsy-OH-nee
Congratulazioni is a very common way to say “congratulations” in Italian. We typically use it when someone is celebrating an important goal or achievement
-Ho ottenuto la cittadinanza italiana. - I got the Italian citizenship.
- Congratulazioni! - Congratulations!
It’s quite similar to English, but there’s one key difference you should watch out for :
Congratulazioni per il tuo nuovo lavoro! - Congratulations on your new job!
Congratulazioni per la tua laurea! - Congratulations on your graduation!
In Italian we say congratulations “for” ( congratulazioni per ) something instead of using “on”, like we do in English.
Complimenti – Compliments/ Well done
Pronunciation: Kohm-pleh-MEN-tee
You can use complimenti when you want to say “well done” or “good job”—when someone does something really well and you want to show your admiration (for example if the risotto you had at the trattoria was particularly good 😉)
Complimenti al cuoco! - Compliments to the chef!
Complimenti, tutto buonissimo! - Great job, all delicious!
Parli italiano molto bene, complimenti! - You speak Italian very well, well done!
As you saw before with congratulazioni , Italians say complimenti “ for” something—not “on”, like you would in English.
Complimenti per il tuo italiano! - Great job on your Italian!
Complimenti per il risotto! - Compliments on the risotto!
Auguri – Congratulations/ Best wishes
Pronunciation: ow-GOO-ree
In Italian, we use auguri to celebrate an occasion, like for example a birthday, a newborn or a wedding.
-Mio figlio si sposa. - My son is getting married.
-Auguri! - Congratulations!
-Mia figlia è incinta - My daughter is pregnant
-Che bella notizia: auguri! -What good news: congratulations!
You can also use auguri when you want to wish good luck or something positive to your Italian friends. In this case, auguri can also mean "best wishes".
Auguri per tutto! - Best wishes for everything! /All the best
Other common ways to say congratulations in Italian:
Congratulazioni, complimenti, and auguri are the most common ways to say “congratulations” in Italian.
But there are many other words you can learn to sound more natural when giving compliments in Italian:
Evviva!
Pronunciation: Ehv-VEE-vah!
Meaning: Hooray! / Yay!
-Domani parto per l’Italia. -Tomorrow I leave for Italy.
-Evviva! Buon viaggio! - Hooray! Have a good trip!
Ben fatto!
Pronunciation: Ben FAHT-toh!
Meaning: Well done!
- Ho prenotato un B&B vicino al mare. - I booked a B&B near the sea.
- Ben fatto! - Well done!
Ottimo lavoro!
Pronunciation: OT-tee-moh lah-VOH-roh!
Meaning: Great job! / Excellent work!
- L’hotel che hai scelto è bellissimo. Ottimo lavoro! -The hotel you chose is beautiful. Good job!
Grande!
Pronunciation: GRAHN-deh!
Meaning: Great! / Awesome!
- Ho prenotato il tour delle Cinque Terre. - I booked the Cinque Terre tour.
- Grande! - Great!
Grande is quite informal, so be sure you only use it with friends and Italians you know well.
Continua così!
Pronunciation: Con-TEE-nu-ah koh-ZEE
Meaning: Keep it up! / Keep going like this!
- Ogni giorno studio italiano per 20 minuti. - Every day I study Italian for 20 minutes.
- Continua così! - Keep it up!
Felicitazioni!
Pronunciation: Feh-lee-chee-tah-TSYOH-nee
Meaning: Congratulations
- Felicitazioni per il vostro matrimonio -Congratulations on your wedding
Felicitazioni is very formal, so you wouldn’t normally use it with friends and Italians you know well.
Che bella notizia!
Pronunciation: Keh BEHL-lah no-TEE-tsyah!
Meaning: What good news!
- Sarò a Firenze a maggio! - I will be in Florence in May!
- Che bella notizia! - What good news!
Bravo! / Brava!
Pronunciation: BRAH-voh! / BRAH-vah!
Meaning: Well done!
You can use bravo if you’re praising a man, and brava if you’re praising a woman.
-Ho preparato il pranzo - I made lunch
-Bravo Matteo! - Well done, Matteo!
Sono contento di sentirlo/ Sono contenta di sentirlo
Pronunciation: SOH-noh con-TEN-toh/ah dee sen-TEER-loh
Meaning: I’m happy to hear that
You can say sono contento if you’re a man, and sono contenta if you’re a woman.
- Oggi è stata una bellissima giornata. - Today was a beautiful day.
- Sono contenta di sentirlo. - I’m happy to hear that
Sono fiero di te/ Sono fiera di te
Pronunciation: SOH-noh FYEH-roh/ah dee teh
Meaning: I’m proud of you.
You can say sono fiero if you’re a man, and sono fiera if you’re a woman.
- Ho superato l’esame B1 di italiano! - I passed the B1 Italian exam!
- Sono fiero di te! - I’m proud of you!
What to Say When Someone Congratulates You in Italian
Now that you’re ready to congratulate your Italian friends, what should you say if they congratulate you?
Semplice (simple) - you can just say:
Grazie! -Thanks!
Grazie mille! -Thanks so much!
You can check here to make sure you're pronouncing grazie the right way!
Common Ways to Say Congratulations in Italian: Review
Complimenti! You now know 13 phrases for saying “congratulations” in Italian. Let’s review them one more time:
Congratulazioni! -Congratulations!
Complimenti! -Compliments/ Well done!
Auguri! -Congratulations/ Best wishes!
Evviva! -Hooray! / Yay!
Ben fatto! -Well done!
Ottimo lavoro! -Great job! / Excellent work!
Grande! -Great! / Awesome!
Continua così! -Keep it up! / Keep going like this!
Felicitazioni! -Congratulations!
Che bella notizia! -What good news!
Bravo/Brava! -Well done!
Sono contento/a di sentirlo! -I’m happy to hear that!
Sono fiero/a di te! -I’m proud of you!
M: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
K: Today we’re talking about words to mark special moments that you might have already heard, like congratulazioni — but you might not be sure how they actually work in Italian.
M: Exactly, especially because there are a couple of important differences to keep in mind if you want to congratulate someone the way Italians actually do.
K: Before we get started, can we ask you a quick favore ? if you’re listening to this on your podcast app, could you click the subscribe or follow button? This way you’ll get notified when we release a new episode and you’ll help our podcast grow so we can keep making free lessons like this. Grazie!
K: A while ago, I remember feeling very happy when I finally got something I’d been waiting for for a long time.
M: A very long time…
K: Here's a similar conversation to the one we had when I finally held it in my hand:
K: È arrivato! Il mio permesso di soggiorno!
M: Congratulazioni!
K: Sono un po’ più italiana
M: Complimenti!
K: Grazie. Ora cominciano i lunghi anni di burocrazia per la cittadinanza
M: Auguri…
K: I announced:
M: È arrivato! – It’s arrived! Literally
È – it’s
Arrivato – arrived
M: Il mio permesso di soggiorno! – My residency permit! Literally:
Il – the
Mio – my
Permesso - permit
Di - of
Soggiorno - stay
È arrivato! Il mio permesso di soggiorno!
K: As you may already know, la burocrazia italiana, Italian bureaucracy, can be an absolute nightmare—so when something goes right, I feel a kind of joy that’s similar to the joy you get with a happy life event or when you achieve something important.
M:____________
K: So, Matteo wants to congratulate me on the good news, and he says:
M: Congratulazioni! – Congratulations! Here is the first word you can use to congratulate an Italian.
M: Congratulazioni (x2)
K: It’s quite similar to English—usually in Italian, we say congratulazioni when the person we’re talking to is celebrating an important goal or achievement.
M: For example, graduating or getting a new job.
Congratulazioni per il tuo nuovo lavoro! – congratulations on your new job! Literally:
Congratulazioni – congratulations
Per – for
Il – the
Tuo – your
Nuovo – new
Lavoro – job
K: Have you noticed that in Italian we say congratulations for something— congratulazioni per —instead of using “on” like we do in English?
M: Congratulazioni per
M: Congratulazioni per il tuo nuovo lavoro!
K: Back to the dialogue. Then I said
M: Sono un po’ più italiana! – I’m a bit more Italian. Literally:
Sono – I’m
Un – a
Po ’- bit
Più - more
Italiana - Italian
Sono un po’ più italiana!
K: To which Matteo replied:
M: Complimenti! –Well-done! Literally Compliments
M: Complimenti (x2)
K: Italians use this word when they want to say “well done” or “good job”—when someone does something really well and you want to show your admiration.
M: For example, if the food was really nice at a restaurant, you might say to the chef:
Complimenti, tutto buonissimo! - literally “compliments”, all delicious! complimenti, tutto buonissimo!
It sounds a bit weird or overly formal in English to say “compliments”, as in “compliments to the chef”, but Italians say it like this all the time in everyday conversations.
K: For example, if someone in Italy wants to compliment you on your Italian, they will say:
Complimenti per il tuo italiano Literally:
Complimenti - Compliments
Per - for
Il - the
Tuo - your
Italiano - Italian
K: As we saw before with congratulazioni , Italians say complimenti “for” something—not 'on', like you would in English.
M: Complimenti per
M: Complimenti per il tuo italiano
K: Back to the dialogue, I replied to Matteo’s complimenti :
M: Grazie! –Thanks!
K: As you can see, you can reply to congratulazioni or complimenti with grazie , thanks- just like you would in English. And then I added:
M: Ora cominciano i lunghi anni di burocrazia per la cittadinanza –Now they start, the long years of bureaucracy for citizenship
Ora - Now
Cominciano - they start
I - the
Lunghi - long
Anni - years
Di - of
Burocrazia - bureaucracy
Per - for
La - the
Cittadinanza - citizenship
Grazie, ora cominciano i lunghi anni di burocrazia per la cittadinanza
K: The amount of bureaucracy required to get citizenship is very intimidating, so Matteo said:
M: Auguri ! – Good luck
Auguri!
K: In Italian, we normally use auguri to celebrate any kind of special occasion, like a newborn or a wedding, but also birthdays and Christmas.So , if an Italian friend of yours gets married, or if they’re celebrating a birthday, you can say auguri !
K: But in the conversation, you heard a slightly different use of auguri. Italians also use it to wish good luck or send positive thoughts. So, auguri can mean "good luck" or “best wishes”
K: For example, if you say
Auguri per tutto! – It’s like saying: Best wishes for everything! Or All the best!
K: Matteo said auguri here because he knows it’s going to be a long... and complicated process, and he’s wishing me well. In a bit of an ironic way.
M: Italians also use auguri ironically sometimes—especially when they know you’re about to do something that won’t be easy.
K: Yes, let’s say you decided to visit the city center of Rome on a very hot summer day—someone could say to you: auguri !
M: Auguri!
K: Let’s quickly review the most common ways you can use to say “congratulations” in Italian. First, we have the one you use when someone is celebrating an important goal or achievement, like graduating or getting a new job
M: Congratulazioni
K: And, how would you say “congratulations on your new job”? Lit “for” your new job
[...]
M: Congratulazioni per il tuo nuovo lavoro
K: And, can you remember what Italians say when someone does something really well, lit. “compliments”?
[...]
M: Complimenti
K: How would you say “compliments/well done on your italian”? Literally “compliments for”:
[...]
M: Complimenti per il tuo italiano
K: Then, what’s the Italian word you can use to celebrate an occasion, like for example a newborn, a wedding, birthdays or Christmas?
[...]
M: Auguri!
K: Let’s listen to the conversation again.
K: È arrivato! Il mio permesso di soggiorno!
M: Congratulazioni!
K: Sono un po’ più italiana
M: Complimenti!
K: Grazie. Ora cominciano i lunghi anni di burocrazia per la cittadinanza
M: Auguri…
K: So, complimenti! You now know the 3 most common phrases for saying “congratulations” in Italian.
M: Over on the blog, you’ll find more phrases you can use to congratulate friends and family in Italian on different occasions. We picked the most common ones that Italians use with each other.
K: This way, you'll be able to celebrate with Italians in a very natural way. To find out more, click the link in the description or go to italian.joyoflanguages.com/podcast and search for episode 184.
M: See you next time.
K: Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
Time to check your understanding and remember everything you just learned! Below you’ll find a mini-quiz and some vocabulary cards to help it all go in.
Quiz: Congratulations in Italian
How much did you learn? Find out in the quiz!
Click here to take the quiz for this episode: Congratulations in Italian
Vocabulary
L’hotel che hai scelto è bellissimo.Ottimo lavoro! = The hotel you chose is beautiful. Good job!
Complimenti al cuoco! = Compliments to the chef!
Congratulazioni per la tua laurea! = Congratulations on your graduation!
Continua così! = Keep it up!
Che bella notizia! = What good news!
Sono fiero/fiera di te! = I’m proud of you!
Sono contento/contenta di sentirlo = I’m happy to hear that
Congratulazioni per il tuo nuovo lavoro! = Congratulations on your new job!
Complimenti per il tuo italiano = Compliments/well done on your Italian
Complimenti, tutto buonissimo! = Congratulations/well done, all delicious!
Flashcards: Congratulations in Italian
Not sure how it works? Click here to watch the tutorial
