You’re meeting a new Italian friend and want to plan a coffee—“at three?” “at half past?” This lesson gives you the numbers you need and the exact phrases for telling time. Short, clear rules, lots of real-life examples, and quick practice to make it stick.

Part 1: Numbers you’ll use every day

Numbers unlock basics: age, prices, phone numbers, how many… Let’s start small and useful.

In classe ci sono studenti.

Going beyond 10

11–19 are special forms you’ll hear a lot:

• undici (11), dodici (12), tredici (13), quattordici (14), quindici (15)
• sedici (16), diciassette (17), diciotto (18), diciannove (19)

Tens are: venti (20), trenta (30), quaranta (40), cinquanta (50). To make 21–29, you add the unit: venti + uno = ventuno (note the drop of the final vowel before “uno/otto”: ventuno, ventotto).

Tip: Italians often use the 24‑hour clock for schedules (trains, shops). In speech, you’ll also hear the 12‑hour clock with parts of the day: di mattina (morning), di pomeriggio (afternoon), di sera (evening), di notte (night). Example: “alle tre di pomeriggio” = at 3 pm.

Part 2: Asking and telling the time

These are the most common questions and answers:

Minutes, quarter, and half

Add minutes after the hour with “e”: “Sono le quattro e dieci.” Use “e un quarto” for :15 and “e mezza” for :30. For minutes before the next hour, use “meno”: “Sono le tre meno cinque.”

È .

Part 3: At what time? Making plans

To say “at [time]”, use the preposition a. It combines with the article le for most hours: a + le = alle. For one o’clock, it combines with l’ (because “una” starts with a vowel): a + l’ = all’.

Ci vediamo due.

Sono l’una. → È l’una. Use singular with 1:00. For other hours: “Sono le due/tre…”

Cultural note: 12-hour vs 24-hour

• In timetables, shops, and official contexts, Italians commonly use the 24‑hour clock: 18:30, 21:00.
• In conversation, you’ll hear both: “le sei e mezza” (6:30) and “le diciotto e trenta” (18:30). If clarity is needed, add the part of day: “alle sei di sera.”

When you read times on signs: “Apertura: 9:00–13:00; 15:00–19:00.” In speech, someone might say: “siamo aperti dalle nove all’una e dalle tre alle sette.”

Quick practice: put it all together

Mini phrase bank

• Che ore sono? / Che ora è? — What time is it?
• È l’una. — It’s one o’clock.
• Sono le due/tre/quattro… — It’s two/three/four…
• Sono le cinque meno dieci. — It’s ten to five (or ten to six, depending on context; more commonly used as “ten to six” → “le sei meno dieci”).
• Sono le otto e mezza. — It’s half past eight.
• Sono le quattro e un quarto. — It’s quarter past four.
• È mezzogiorno / È mezzanotte. — It’s noon / midnight.
• A che ora…? — At what time…?
• All’una / Alle due / A mezzogiorno. — At one / at two / at noon.

Final check-in

You can now ask the time, understand answers, and make plans. Keep listening for set phrases like “e un quarto” and “meno cinque,” and practice with real schedules (bus, cinema). Next coffee with your Italian friend? “Ci vediamo alle tre di pomeriggio!” Buono studio!