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Glossary entry

Italian term or phrase:

Buona Domenica

English translation:

hello, (having a) good weekend?

Added to glossary by Lara Barnett
Mar 9, 2012 14:49
12 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Italian term

Buona Domenica

Italian to English Other Idioms / Maxims / Sayings greeting
How do you say this in plausible English?

My specific context is somebody using it on Sunday (presumably in the morning), though it could also be used on a Friday or Saturday and this would completely change the translation.
Proposed translations (English)
4 +2 hello, (having a) good weekend?
4 +1 Have a good Sunday
5 Good Day
4 enjoy your sunday
4 Have a good one/weekend/Sunday
4 Happy Sunday!
3 How's Sunday treating you?
Change log

Mar 14, 2012 10:09: Lara Barnett Created KOG entry

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (1): Daniela Zambrini

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Discussion

Tom in London Mar 10, 2012:
I agree Yes - although it's possible you might say "have a good Sunday" if someone had specifically told you that they were doing something particular on the Sunday; i.e. (imaginary conversation):

A: We're going boating on Sunday
B: That'll be nice.
A +B: Blah blah blah (about various other subjects)
A: Well- must rush - bye
B: Bye - have a good Sunday!
Leanne Young Mar 10, 2012:
I would just say "have a nice weekend" ...I don't think there should be any reference to Sunday as we would never say that in English. It is meaningless to non-Italians.
Tom in London Mar 9, 2012:
AMerican That's because she's obviously American, so the English will make allowances for her outrageous behaviour :)
philgoddard Mar 9, 2012:
You should try it! My Southern wife greets strangers when we're in London (obviously not in Piccadilly Circus) and gets a surprisingly friendly response most of the time.
Tom in London Mar 9, 2012:
Lucky you, Phil... ... to be living among normal human beings. I'm in London.
philgoddard Mar 9, 2012:
Thomas Funny you should ask this question. I'm a Brit living in the southern States, where everyone says hello in the street. I never cease to be amused by the countless different ways people have of saying this - "how ya doin" being the most common. I thought I'd heard them all until yesterday, when I was out walking the dog, and a stranger said to me, quite spontaneously and without a trace of irony, "Happy Thursday".
Sonia Hill Mar 9, 2012:
I'd remove all reference to Sunday Unless it's particularly relevant to the rest of your text, I would remove all reference to Sunday in this particular context. It doesn't sound natural at all in English. Is this a telephone conversation? I suggest something along the lines of:
B: Hello
A: Hello
B. Good morning, I'm B
A: Good morning (to you too), B... how can I help you?...
Thomas Roberts (asker) Mar 9, 2012:
text A: [A]…
B: Buongiorno
A: buongiorno
B: buona domenica, sono B
A: buona domenica anche a lei, B… mi dica tutto…
Lara Barnett Mar 9, 2012:
But if we don't have the equivalent of this sort of idiomatic usage in English it wouldn't necessarily affect your translation though would it? As the immediate idea to be conveyed is to 'enjoy today, which happens to be a sunday' surely?
Thomas Roberts (asker) Mar 9, 2012:
one is fine I am interested in the one specific to Sundays
Oliver Lawrence Mar 9, 2012:
So you would like 2 translations? one for use on Sundays, one for use on Fridays/Saturdays?
Simon Lewis Mar 9, 2012:
I would just use (good) morning then
Thomas Roberts (asker) Mar 9, 2012:
context Here it is being used on a Sunday morning at the start of a conversation. I just wanted to point out that it could be used on a Friday or Saturday (in other contexts) and that this would obviously need to be translated differently.
Lara Barnett Mar 9, 2012:
@ asker Is this actually being used on a Sunday or is it a Friday or a Saturday? I am a bit confused by the explanation.
Thomas Roberts (asker) Mar 9, 2012:
I should also say that it's being used at the start of a conversation as a substitute for "buongiorno"

Proposed translations

+2
25 mins
Selected

hello, (having a) good weekend?

I don't think that, given the conversation flow here, there would be a natural sounding equivalent to use. Therefore I would opt more for focussing on an English weekend greeting, rather than trying to translate the meaning exactly.

I would say that "(having a)" is an option here.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 32 mins (2012-03-09 15:22:02 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Maybe the expression could be altered to fit in with the conversation flow:

A: [A]…
B: Hello
A: Hello
B: Are you enjoying your Sunday?
A: Yes Thank you, and you?
B: mmm, so... Etc.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 35 mins (2012-03-09 15:25:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I suggest this option because I believe that for a conversation/dialogue, my priority would be to keep it as natural and spontaneous as possible, rather than looking for idiomatic equivalents.
Peer comment(s):
agree P.L.F. Persio : agree 100%.
11 mins
Thank you.
agree David Hollywood : "having a nice day?" ... I don't think we native English speakers would say anything with "Sunday" here
21 mins
Thank you.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thanks to all for the contributions. I think it's fair that you get the points as the answer with the most agrees. "
1 min

enjoy your sunday

how about it? :)
Something went wrong...
2 mins

Have a good one/weekend/Sunday

As you say depends very much on the context - have a good weekend is very common, but maybe not so appropriate if it's already Sunday. Have a good Sunday makes perfect sense, but it's not something you're really likely to hear. Have a good one is a great catch-all, but only really suitable for US audiences

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 4 mins (2012-03-09 14:53:56 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

doesn't really work then as an introduction ...
Something went wrong...
+1
20 mins

Have a good Sunday

(although people don't often say that here)
Peer comment(s):
agree Glinda : Oppure con "nice" in alternativa a "good"
22 hrs
Something went wrong...
50 mins

Good Day

If used at the start of a conversation: "Good day", or alternatively: "Good morning", "Good afternoon" or "Good evening" depending on the time of day.

That's the closest you're going to get, IME.

If used to end a conversation, or on any other day of the week: "Have a good Sunday".

I don't think "Have a good weekend" is correct, the source for that would be: "Buon fine settimana" or the more modern "Buon weekend".
Something went wrong...
57 mins

How's Sunday treating you?

Personally I'd skip the idea of Sunday altogether, but one possibility if it had to be included could be something like:
-Good morning
-Good morning
-How's Sunday treating you?
-Great thanks, yourself?
Something went wrong...
1 hr

Happy Sunday!

I often get messages from clients opening with Happy Friday which is a fairly common US office expression.
Happy Sunday is probably more common in Italian than in the English speaking world, but it still works in my opinion.
Something went wrong...
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