There are two ways to ask the time in Italian: - **Che ore sono?** — What time is it? (literally: What hours are they?) - **Che ora è?** — What time is it? (literally: What hour is it?) Both are correct and widely used.
Italian uses different verbs depending on the hour: - **È l'una** — It's 1:00 (singular: *l'una* is one) - **Sono le due** — It's 2:00 - **Sono le tre** — It's 3:00 - **Sono le quattro** — It's 4:00 - **Sono le cinque** — It's 5:00 - **Sono le sei** — It's 6:00 - **Sono le sette** — It's 7:00 - **Sono le otto** — It's 8:00 - **Sono le nove** — It's 9:00 - **Sono le dieci** — It's 10:00 - **Sono le undici** — It's 11:00 - **Sono le dodici** — It's 12:00 Rule: Use **è** for 1:00, **sono le** for all other hours.
Two special expressions replace numbers for midday and midnight: - **È mezzogiorno** — It's noon (12:00 PM) - **È mezzanotte** — It's midnight (12:00 AM) Note: these use **è** (not *sono*) and do not take the article *le*.
Add these phrases after the hour: - **e un quarto** — and a quarter (15 minutes past) - **e mezza / e mezzo** — and a half (30 minutes past) Examples: - **Sono le tre e un quarto** — It's 3:15 - **Sono le otto e mezza** — It's 8:30 - **È l'una e un quarto** — It's 1:15 - **È mezzogiorno e mezza** — It's 12:30 PM
For times 45 minutes past (or 15 minutes before the next hour), use: - **meno un quarto** — minus a quarter (15 minutes to) This refers to the *next* hour: - **Sono le quattro meno un quarto** — It's 3:45 (a quarter to four) - **Sono le otto meno un quarto** — It's 7:45 (a quarter to eight) - **È l'una meno un quarto** — It's 12:45 (a quarter to one)
You can express exact minutes by adding them after the hour: **Minutes past:** Sono le [hour] e [minutes] - **Sono le due e cinque** — It's 2:05 - **Sono le tre e dieci** — It's 3:10 - **Sono le sei e venti** — It's 6:20 - **Sono le nove e venticinque** — It's 9:25 **Minutes to:** Sono le [next hour] meno [minutes] - **Sono le tre meno dieci** — It's 2:50 (ten to three) - **Sono le otto meno cinque** — It's 7:55 (five to eight)
Italian does not use AM/PM. Instead, you specify the time of day: - **di mattina** — in the morning (roughly 6:00–12:00) - **del pomeriggio** — in the afternoon (roughly 12:00–18:00) - **di sera** — in the evening (roughly 18:00–22:00) - **di notte** — at night (roughly 22:00–6:00) Examples: - **Sono le nove di mattina** — It's 9:00 AM - **Sono le tre del pomeriggio** — It's 3:00 PM - **Sono le otto di sera** — It's 8:00 PM - **Sono le due di notte** — It's 2:00 AM
In official contexts (train stations, airports, TV schedules), Italy uses the 24-hour clock: - **Sono le tredici** — It's 13:00 (1:00 PM) - **Sono le quindici e trenta** — It's 15:30 (3:30 PM) - **Sono le venti** — It's 20:00 (8:00 PM) - **Il treno parte alle diciotto** — The train leaves at 18:00 (6:00 PM) The preposition **alle** (= at the) is used for scheduled times.
Common expressions for talking about time: - **a che ora?** — at what time? - **alle + time** — at [time] (e.g., *alle tre* — at 3:00) - **all'una** — at 1:00 - **verso le cinque** — around 5:00 - **in punto** — exactly, on the dot (e.g., *alle otto in punto* — at exactly 8:00) - **circa** — approximately - **presto** — early - **tardi** — late
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Basic O'Clock Times
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È l'una — The Special Case of 1:00
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Sono le — Hours 2 Through 12
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Mezzogiorno and Mezzanotte
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Recognizing Times in Italian
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Choosing Between È and Sono le
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Common Time Expressions
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Time Vocabulary
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Fill in Basic Time Expressions
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Group 1 Review: O'Clock Times
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E un quarto — Quarter Past
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E mezza — Half Past
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Meno un quarto — Quarter To
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Quarter Past vs Quarter To
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Half Past — Full Practice
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Meno — Minutes To the Hour
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Reading Clock Times
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Reading Schedules with Quarter and Half Hours
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Fill in Quarter and Half Past Times
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Group 2 Review: Quarters and Halves
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Minutes Past the Hour
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Minutes To the Hour
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Di mattina — Morning Times
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Del pomeriggio — Afternoon Times
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Di sera and Di notte — Evening and Night
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Choosing the Right Time of Day Expression
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Daily Routine Times
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Appointment Times
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Fill in Minutes and Time Periods
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Group 3 Review: Minutes and Time Periods
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Che ore sono? — Asking the Time
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Che ora è? — Alternative Way to Ask the Time
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Answering Time Questions
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Formal Time Expressions
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Informal Time Expressions
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Train Schedules — Reading Italian Timetables
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School Schedule
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Work Hours
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Fill in Time Questions and Answers
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Group 4 Review: Questions and Schedules
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The 24-Hour Clock — Full Practice
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Digital Time Format
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Calculating Time Differences
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Duration Expressions
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Arrival and Departure Times
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Real-World Time Situations 1
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Real-World Time Situations 2
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Time in a Paragraph
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Comprehensive Review 1
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Comprehensive Review 2 — Final Assessment
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