Learn how to tell the time in Italian.
In Italian, the 12-hour clock is normally used for telling the time. The 24-hour clock is mostly used for travel timetables.
Asking the time
che ore sono? | what's the time? |
che ora è? | what's the time? |
mi può dire l'ora, per favore? | could you tell me the time, please? (polite) |
sa per caso che ore sono? | do you happen to have the time? (polite) |
sa che ora è? | do you know what time it is? (polite) |
Telling the time
è … | it's ... (the singular form, used when the hour part of the time is one o'clock, as well as at noon and midnight) |
sono … | it's ... (the plural form, used for all other times) |
esattamente ... | exactly ... |
all'incirca ... | about ... |
quasi ... | almost ... |
appena passata ... | just gone ... (singular) |
appena passate ... | just gone ... (plural) |
l'una | one o'clock |
le due | two o'clock |
l'una e un quarto | quarter past one |
le due e un quarto | quarter past two |
l'una e mezza | half past one |
le due e mezza | half past two |
un quarto alle due | quarter to two |
un quarto alle tre | quarter to three |
l'una e cinque | five past one |
l'una e dieci | ten past one |
l'una e venti | twenty past one |
l'una e venticinque | twenty-five past one |
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Time expressions |
The weather
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cinque alle due | five to two |
dieci alle due | ten to two |
venti alle due | twenty to two |
venticinque alle due | twenty-five to two |
dieci e quindici | ten fifteen |
dieci e trenta | ten thirty |
dieci e quarantacinque | ten forty-five |
dieci del mattino | ten am |
sei di sera | six pm |
mezzogiorno | noon |
mezzanotte | midnight |
It's also possible to state the time in Italian by saying the hour followed by the minutes, followed, if necessary, by the words di mattina (from 5am until noon), di pomeriggio (from noon until 6pm), di sera (from 6pm until midnight), or di notte (from midnight until 5am), eg:
11.47 di mattina | 11.47am |
14.13 di sera | 2.13pm |
Clocks
il mio orologio va ... | my watch is ... |
avanti | fast |
indietro | slow |
quell'orologio va un po' ... | that clock's a little ... |
avanti | fast |
indietro | slow |