Telling the time in Italian

Asking and telling the time

There are two ways to ask the time, and both are correct: Che ore sono? and Che ora è? In the answer we use essere and the feminine article, because we are thinking of the word ore (hours): sono le tre.

Why è l’una but sono le due? One o’clock is a single hour, so the verb is singular: è l’una. From two o’clock on there is more than one hour, so the verb is plural: sono le due, sono le dieci.

Mezzogiorno (midday) and mezzanotte (midnight) take no article: è mezzogiorno, è mezzanotte. For 12:00 you can also say sono le dodici.

Minutes: e, meno, un quarto, mezza

After the hour, add the minutes with e (and). After half past, you can also say how many minutes are left until the next hour, with meno (minus).

Mezza or mezzo? Both are fine: le tre e mezza, le tre e mezzo. With a quarter you need un: le tre e un quarto.

Meno means that some minutes are missing. Sono le quattro meno venti = mancano venti minuti alle quattro (twenty to four). Meno is usually used when there are 20 minutes or fewer to go.

At what time? Alle, all’, a mezzogiorno

To say when something happens, use a + article: alle (a + le) with almost every hour, all’ (a + l’) with one o’clock. With mezzogiorno and mezzanotte, a is enough.

Che ore sono? or A che ora? Che ore sono? asks the time right now: sono le otto. A che ora…? asks when something happens: alle otto.

Everyday time and official time

With friends and family Italians use the hours from 1 to 12 and, if needed, add the part of the day: le otto di mattina, le otto di sera. Official timetables (trains, shops, offices, television) use the 24-hour clock, and the minutes are said as numbers.

No quarto, mezza or meno in official times. The 17:45 train leaves alle diciassette e quarantacinque, not alle sei meno un quarto.

Parts of the day

Di mattina, del pomeriggio, di sera, di notte. With the hour you say le otto di mattina (or del mattino), le tre del pomeriggio, le nove di sera, le due di notte. The times in the table are only a guide.

Buongiorno, buonasera, buonanotte. Buongiorno is used in the morning and until early afternoon, buonasera from the afternoon on. Buonanotte is only said when going to bed or saying goodbye late at night.

Common mistakes

Exercises with instant feedback

30 sentences in three parts. Type only what is missing: your answer is checked as you type.

Part 1 · Che ore sono?

Look at the time in brackets and complete the answer.

Part 2 · At what time?

Write the missing word.

Part 3 · Official time and parts of the day

Read the time and complete the sentence.

Use it in conversation