How To Tell Time in Italian

Here's How:

1. What time is it? is expressed in Italian by Che ora è? or Che ore sono? The answer is: È mezzogiorno (noon), mezzanotte (midnight), or l'una (one o'clock).
2. For all other times, the answer to What time is it? is expressed in Italian by Sono le + number of the hour.
3. Fractions of an hour are expressed by e + minutes elapsed. From the half hour to the next hour, time can also be expressed by giving the next hour meno (minus) the number of minutes before the coming hour.
4. Un quarto (A quarter) and mezzo (a half) often replace quindici and trenta. Un quarto d'ora and mezz'ora mean a quarter of an hour and half an hour.
5. To indicate AM add di mattina to the hour; to indicate PM, add del pomeriggio (12 Noon to 5 PM), di sera (5 PM to midnight), or di notte (midnight to early morning) to the hour.

Tips:

1. In Italy as in most of Europe, time is based on the 24 hour day and not on the 12 hour clock. Thus, 1 PM is expressed as 13:00, 5:30 PM as 17:30, etc. That means an appointment or invitation for 19:30 is meant for 7:30 PM.
2. To inquire or speak about time, you should learn these expressions: Scusi, sa che ore sono?/Excuse me, do you know what time it is? A che ora [comincia il film]?/At what time [does the movie start]?
3. Other useful expressions to indicate how frequently an action occurs include: a volte/sometimes; due volte al giorno/twice a day; tutti i giorni/every day; and ogni tanto/from time to time.