Italian Steps - Part of the day and times - Language notes

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Grammar Tips

More about parts of the day and times
  • To ask the time, you use Che ora è? or Che ore sono? (literally 'What hour is it?' or 'What hours are they?)


  • Hours, ore, are usually plural, so to say the time, you use sono + le + number:

    • Sono le otto It's eight (o'clock)
    Sono le undici It's eleven (o'clock)

  • But to say one o'clock, or midnight or midday, you use the singular è:

    • È l'una It's one o'clock
    È mezzogiorno It's midday
    È mezzanotte It's midnight

  • For minutes past the hour, you use e, 'and':

    • Sono le tre e venti It's twenty past three
    Sono le otto e un quarto It's a quarter past eight
    Sono le sette e mezzo It's half past seven
    È l'una e dieci It's ten past one

  • For minutes to the hour, you use meno, 'minus':

    • Sono le tre meno venti It's twenty to three
    Sono le otto meno un quarto It's a quarter to eight
    È l'una meno dieci It's ten to one

  • To ask what time something happens, you say A che ora...? 'At what time?' followed by a verb:

    • A che ora comincia lo spettacolo? What time does the show start?

  • To say at what time, you combine a, 'at', with le or l':

    • Parto alle nove e torno alle dieci I leave at nine and come back at ten

  • To say from one time until another, you combine da, 'from', and a, 'to', with le or l':

    • È aperto dalle nove alle cinque It's open from nine to five
    Sono chiusi dall'una alle due They are closed from one to two

  • See also:
    - numbers used when telling the time
    - how 'di' combines with the words for 'the'
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