A chill wind sweeps the darkening platform and whistles mournfully through the overhead cables. A plastic wrapper rattles by as it chases a leaf along the tracks. The speaker crackles to life, and a distant voice, seeming to emanate from some far off continent, announces: Il treno proveniente da Parma, diretto a Livorno, è in arrivo al binario due. I signori passeggeri sono pregati di allontanarsi dalla riga gialla ….

Marco: allora, ci vediamo fra una settimana, tesoro
Laura: certo amore, comunque ci sentiamo in questi giorni, no?
Marco: senz’altro, mi telefoni stasera quando arrivi?
Laura: subito!
Marco: stammi bene, patatina
Laura: Ti voglio tanto bene
Marco: anch’io .. dai, che il treno sta per partire ….

A hissing of high pressure air, a metallic squealing and a perfunctory hoot signal the train departure … a timeless ritual is played out … ciao amore … ciao, ci sentiamo presto … ci vediamo prestissimo … the lighted windows of semi deserted carriages flash past like frames from an old movie reel, the leaf chases the plastic wrapper back along the tracks again. Marco turns up the collar of his jacket against the cold lonely fingers of the wistful wind and, sighing resignedly, heads towards the station exit.

Parting Words

My little story contains a small collection of expressions that we often use when saying goodbye. Let’s take a look:

Marco: allora, ci vediamo fra una settimana, tesoro = Marco: so, I’ll see you in a week’s time darling. Ci vediamo is the reflexive, or reciprocal form of the verb vedere (to see). The literal meaning of ci vediamo is we’ll see each other. Some more examples:  ci vediamo dopo pranzo = I’ll see you after lunch, ci vediamo più tardi = see you later.
We commonly use shortened form of these expressions, such as: a dopo or a più tardi meaning ‘until later’, a domani = ‘until tomorrow’ and alla prossima = ‘until the next time’

Laura: certo amore, comunque ci sentiamo in questi giorni, no? = Laura: of course love, anyway we’ll get in touch in these days won’t we?  Ci sentiamo is the reflexive, or reciprocal form of the verb sentire (to hear). The literal meaning of ci sentiamo is we’ll hear each other e.g. ci sentiamo questo pomeriggio = ‘we’ll get in touch this afternoon’, ci sentiamo in settimana = ‘we’ll get in touch during the week’

Marco: senz’altro, mi telefoni stasera quando arrivi? = Marco: of course, will you phone me this evening when you arrive?
Laura: subito! = straight away! 

Marco: stammi bene, patatina = take care ‘little potato’ (a common affectionate nickname), or literally = stay well for me. You can also use the plural form when saying goodbye to more than one person: statemi bene 

Laura: Ti voglio tanto bene = I really love you

Marco: anch’io … dai, che il treno sta per partire …. = me as well … come on, the train’s about to leave ….

Arrivederci cari lettori = until we see each other again dear readers ….