Nel nostro condominio ci salutiamo tutti, perfino la moglie del tabaccaio.

Nel is a contraction of in + il.

So:

• in il condominio → nel condominio
• nel nostro condominio = in our apartment building / in our condominium

English often just says in our building or in our condo building, but Italian commonly uses condominio for the building or apartment block as a shared residential property.

Because the article is already built into nel.

• nel = in + il
• so nel nostro condominio literally contains the il already

That means:

• nel nostro condominio = correct
• nel il nostro condominio = wrong, because the article would be doubled
• in nostro condominio = wrong, because Italian normally needs the article here

This is very common in Italian with prepositions:

• del = di + il
• al = a + il
• sul = su + il
• nel = in + il

Here condominio means a residential building with multiple apartments, especially one where common spaces are shared.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• the building itself
• the apartment block
• the condominium as a housing arrangement
• sometimes even the community of residents

So in this sentence, it most naturally refers to the apartment building where we live.

A native English speaker should be careful not to assume it always means exactly the same thing as American English condominium. In Italian, condominio is a very normal everyday word for a shared apartment building.

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

Here:

• salutiamo = we greet / we say hello
• so noi is not necessary

Italian prefers this:

• Ci salutiamo tutti

rather than:

• Noi ci salutiamo tutti

You can add noi for emphasis, but it is usually omitted when it is obvious.

Ci here is a reflexive/reciprocal pronoun.

With salutarsi, it means to greet one another or to say hello to each other.

So:

• salutiamo = we greet
• ci salutiamo = we greet each other

That ci is important because it shows the action goes back among the people in the group.

Literally, the form is reflexive, yes, but in real usage it is usually understood here as reciprocal, not truly reflexive.

So:

• ci vediamo can mean we see each other
• ci scriviamo can mean we write to each other
• ci salutiamo means we greet each other

Italian uses the same pronoun form for both reflexive and reciprocal meanings. Context tells you which one it is.

In this sentence, a reciprocal meaning is clearly intended: the people in the building all greet one another.

Here tutti means all of us / everyone.

So ci salutiamo tutti means:

• we all greet each other
• everyone greets everyone else

The position after the verb is very natural in Italian. It adds a smooth, conversational rhythm.

You could also hear:

• tutti ci salutiamo

but ci salutiamo tutti sounds very idiomatic and common.

Here tutti refers to the people in the building, not to the object of the verb.

That would change the meaning.

• ci salutiamo tutti = we all greet each other
• salutiamo tutti = we greet everyone

Without ci, salutare is just a normal transitive verb with a direct object.

So:

• Salutiamo tutti i vicini = We greet all the neighbors
• Ci salutiamo tutti = We all greet one another

That little ci makes a big difference.

Perfino means even or even ... too, with a sense of surprise or emphasis.

It suggests that the next example is slightly unexpected, notable, or a bit amusing.

So perfino la moglie del tabaccaio means something like:

• even the tobacconist’s wife
• including even the tobacconist’s wife

The idea is that in this building, people are so friendly that absolutely everyone says hello — even someone the speaker finds worth mentioning specially.

Yes. Perfino and persino are very close in meaning, and in many contexts they are interchangeable.

Both mean:

• even
• as far as
• including even

So you could say:

• Nel nostro condominio ci salutiamo tutti, persino la moglie del tabaccaio.

That would sound natural too.

Another possible word is addirittura, but that often feels a bit stronger or more dramatic, depending on context.

Del is di + il, so:

• la moglie del tabaccaio = the wife of the tobacconist / tobacco-shop owner

A tabaccaio is the person who runs a tabaccheria.

In Italy, a tabaccaio is not just someone selling tobacco in the narrow English sense. A tabaccheria often also sells things like:

• cigarettes
• stamps
• lottery tickets
• bus tickets
• small everyday items

So tabaccaio is a very familiar neighborhood role in Italian life.

The comma helps set off the final phrase as an added, emphatic detail.

The structure is:

• main statement: Nel nostro condominio ci salutiamo tutti
• added emphasis/example: perfino la moglie del tabaccaio

That comma gives the sentence a natural pause, almost like:

• In our building, we all greet each other — even the tobacconist’s wife.

It makes the last part sound like a noteworthy extra example rather than just another plain element in the sentence.