One of the most important aspects of learning a new language is understanding how to tell time. In Italian, this can be a little different than what we're used to, but with a little practice, you'll get the hang of it. Let's learn how to tell time in Italian.
Basic expressions
To ask what time it is, you can use the expression "Che ora è?" or "Che ore sono?". To respond, you can use the phrase "È l'una" to say it's one hour, and "Sono le..." followed by the number for all other hours. For example, "Sono le due" (it's two o'clock), "Sono le tre" (it's three o'clock), and so on.
Minutes
To express minutes in Italian, you can add "e" followed by the number of minutes after the hour. For example, "È l'una e dieci" (it's ten past one), "Sono le due e quindici" (it's a quarter past two). If you want to express the time on the dot, you can use "in punto" after the hour, as in "Sono le tre in punto" (it's three on the dot).
Half an hour and a quarter of an hour
The Italians have special expressions for half an hour and quarter of an hour. To say it's a quarter past the hour, you can use "e un quarto", as in "È l'una e un quarto" (it's a quarter past one). For half an hour, you can use "e mezza", as in "Sono le due e mezza" (it's half past two).
Ahead of time
To express the minutes before the next hour, Italians use "meno". For example, "È l'una meno un quarto" (it's one minus fifteen) or "Sono le due meno dieci" (it's two minus ten).
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Times of the day
Finally, to express different periods of the day, you can use "di mattina" (in the morning), "del pomeriggio" (in the afternoon), "di sera" (in the evening) and "di notte" (in the evening). For example, "Sono le tre del pomeriggio" (It's three in the afternoon).
Practicing these expressions and combinations will help you become more comfortable telling time in Italian. Good fortune!
