Learn basic Italian vocabulary related to time
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| le due |
| le tre |
| le quattro |
| What do these words mean? Stick around. |
| In this quick lesson, you’ll learn Italian vocabulary for hours. |
| Before we start, did you know that many shops in Italy close in the middle of the day? Why? |
| Keep watching for the answer at the end. |
| l'una |
| "1 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] l'una |
| l'una |
| "L'una" is special because it is feminine and singular! While other hours use the plural "le", for 1 o'clock, you use "l'una." It literally means "the one (hour)." Remember: "È l'una" means "It is 1 o'clock." |
| Jack and Steve make plans for lunch. |
| Jack: Pranzi all'una anche tu? |
| Steve: Sì, andiamo a mangiare insieme! |
| le due |
| "2 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le due |
| le due |
| "Le due" means "the two (hours)." For telling time in Italian, we use the article "le" (the, plural, feminine) before the hours. |
| Oscar invites Emily to see a movie. |
| Oscar: Vediamo questo film. Inizia alle due. |
| Emily: Va bene. Adoro i film. |
| le tre |
| "3 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le tre |
| le tre |
| In Italian, when you say "le tre" (3 o'clock), you use the plural article "le" because the word "ore" (hours) is understood and it is feminine and plural. You say "Sono le tre." This is different from 1 o'clock, which is "l'una" (singular). |
| Lina confirms a meeting time with Susan. |
| Lina: Ci incontriamo alle tre, giusto? Per favore, non fare tardi. |
| Susan: Contaci! Sarò lì in orario. |
| le quattro |
| "4 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le quattro |
| le quattro |
| Again the same pattern: 'le' plus the number! |
| "Le quattro" Emily and Oscar chat about a concert that they'll attend. |
| Emily: Lo spettacolo inizia alle quattro. |
| Oscar: Wow! Sono emozionato. |
| le cinque |
| "5 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le cinque |
| le cinque |
| Tea at five o'clock. |
| Il tè delle cinque. |
| Jack reminds Steve about their dinner reservation. |
| Jack: Mangeremo presto. La cena è alle cinque. |
| Steve: Perfetto. Ho già fame. |
| le sei |
| "6 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le sei |
| le sei |
| In small villages across Italy, be aware that shops may close as early as 6 o'clock, so plan ahead if you need to purchase groceries. |
| Oscar talks about his exercise schedule with Emily. |
| Oscar: Vado a fare jogging alle sei. |
| Emily: Fare jogging fa bene alla salute. |
| le sette |
| "7 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le sette |
| le sette |
| On Sundays I get up early, at seven, and do a lot of things! And you? |
| Lina discusses her morning routine with Susan. |
| Lina: Di solito mi sveglio alle sette. |
| Susan: Così presto? |
| le otto |
| "8 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le otto |
| le otto |
| In Italy, you might be surprised to find many restaurants closed if you try to dine in the early evening, as they frequently don't begin service until 8 o'clock, especially in the South Italy. |
| Steve tells Jack about a new store's opening hours. |
| Steve: C'è un nuovo negozio qui vicino. Apre alle otto. |
| Jack: Ottimo! Ci sono alcune cose che devo comprare. |
| le nove |
| "9 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le nove |
| le nove |
| When referring to 9 PM, you can either say le ventuno or le nove di sera. |
| Emily invites Oscar to watch a movie together. |
| Emily: Guardiamo quel nuovo film. Il film inizia alle nove. |
| Oscar: Tempismo perfetto. Andiamo a vederlo. |
| le dieci |
| "10 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le dieci |
| le dieci |
| In many cases to refer to 10 PM, Italians say le ventidue. |
| Lina talks to Susan about a concert she's attending. |
| Lina: Sono emozionata per stasera. Il concerto è alle dieci. |
| Susan: Divertiti! |
| le undici |
| "11 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] le undici |
| le undici |
| In many cases to refer to 11 PM, Italians say le ventitré. |
| Jack shares his nightly routine with Steve. |
| Jack: Di solito leggo un libro alle 11:00 per rilassarmi. |
| Steve: Leggere è un ottimo modo per rilassarsi. |
| mezzanotte |
| "12 o'clock" |
| [SLOW] mezzanotte |
| mezzanotte |
| “Mezzanotte” is easy to remember, but you also have the options of saying “le zero” or “le ventiquattro”. |
| For midday, the term is mezzogiorno or “le dodici”. |
| Susan tells Lina about her bedtime. |
| Susan: Vado a letto tardi, verso mezzanotte. |
| Lina: È abbastanza tardi. Io di solito vado a dormire prima. |
| Let's review. |
| You'll see the words in English and your job is to say the words in Italian. |
| Ready? |
| Do you remember how to say "1 o'clock"? |
| l'una |
| l'una |
| And how to say "2 o'clock"? |
| le due |
| le due |
| How about "3 o'clock"? |
| le tre |
| le tre |
| Do you remember how to say "4 o'clock"? |
| le quattro |
| le quattro |
| And how to say "5 o'clock"? |
| le cinque |
| le cinque |
| Let's try "6 o'clock"! |
| le sei |
| le sei |
| What about "7 o'clock"? |
| le sette |
| le sette |
| Now, let's see if you remember how to say "8 o'clock"! |
| le otto |
| le otto |
| Another one! What about "9 o'clock"? |
| le nove |
| le nove |
| Do you remember how to say "10 o'clock"? |
| le dieci |
| le dieci |
| And how to say "11 o'clock"? |
| le undici |
| le undici |
| And finally, do you remember how to say "12 o'clock"? |
| mezzanotte |
| mezzanotte |
| Did you know that many shops in Italy close in the middle of the day? Why? |
| It’s for the pausa — time to go home for lunch, and sometimes a short nap (pennichella) to stay energized for the evening. |
| Thanks for watching! Don't forget to practice these new words and phrases, and see you next time! |
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