Don't write to me so late! I was sleeping.
Stress 'dor-MI-vo'. 'Tardi' = TAR-di.
Say this (perhaps with a humorous emoji) when someone has woken you up with a late-night message. It sets boundaries while keeping the tone light.
'Non scrivermi' = don't write to me (negative informal imperative). 'Così tardi' = so late. 'Dormivo' = I was sleeping (imperfect — continuous past). Italian phone etiquette generally respects sleeping hours, though late-night messaging to close friends is increasingly normalised.
Ho visto il tuo messaggio stamattina.
I saw your message this morning.
Explaining you saw it later.
Scrivi a orari decenti! 😄
Write at decent hours! 😄
Playful complaint.
Avevo il telefono in silenzioso.
I had my phone on silent.
Explaining you didn't hear it.
Italian phone etiquette traditionally respected 'orario di silenzio' (quiet hours) from around 9–10pm until 9am. However, Italian millennials and Gen Z increasingly communicate at any hour, particularly via WhatsApp where they assume the recipient's phone is on silent. The social negotiation of messaging hours is a common topic in Italian relationship discussions.