Grammar, spelling, and usage
Telling Time
What time is it? is expressed in Italian by Che ora è? or Che ore sono? The answer is È + mezzogiorno (noon), mezzanotte (midnight), l'una (one o'clock), or Sono le + number of the hour for all other times.
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. 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.
To indicate A.M., add di mattina to the hour; to indicate P.M., add del pomeriggio (12 P.M. to 5 P.M.), di sera (5 P.M. to midnight), or di notte (midnight to early morning) to the hour.
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