Telling Time

Telling Time in Italian

Welcome back! In this lesson, you will learn how to ask for and tell the time in Italian. Being able to talk about the clock is essential for managing your daily routine.

Asking for the Time

To ask 'What time is it?', use:

• Che ore sono? (What time is it? - literally 'What hours are they?')
• Che ora è? (What time is it? - singular form)

Telling the Hours

To state the hour, use the feminine plural article le, because you are implying ore (hours):

• È l'una. (It is one o'clock. - Note: uses 'è l' instead of 'le' for 1.)
• Sono le due. (It is two o'clock.)
• Sono le tre. (It is three o'clock.)

Adding Minutes

To add minutes up to half past, use e (and):

• Sono le cinque e dieci. (It's ten past five.)
• Sono le otto e un quarto. (It's a quarter past eight.)
• Sono le dieci e mezzo. (It's half past ten.)

For minutes past the half hour, it is common to subtract from the next hour using meno (minus):

• Sono le nove meno un quarto. (It's a quarter to nine.)
• Sono le sei meno venti. (It's twenty to six.)

Common Mistakes

A frequent error is saying 'Sono l'una'. Remember that 1 o'clock is singular: always say È l'una!