Benvenuti, language learners! Knowing how to tell time and date is a fundamental skill in any language, and Italian is no exception. Whether you're scheduling a meeting, asking for shop opening hours, or simply making small talk, these phrases are essential for daily communication. For A1/A2 level Italian learners, mastering this topic is a key step towards fluency.

In this guide, we'll cover how to ask for and tell the time (Che ore sono?, È l'una), ask for and state the date (Che giorno è oggi?, Oggi è lunedì), and learn the days of the week and months of the year. Let's get started!

Asking for the Time (Chiedere l'ora)

The most common way to ask "What time is it?" in Italian is:

• Che ore sono? (Literally: "What hours are they?")

You might also hear a singular version, though it's less common:

• Che ora è? (Literally: "What hour is it?")

Both are understood, but Che ore sono? is generally preferred.

Telling the Time (Dire l'ora)

The word for "hour" in Italian is ora (feminine singular) or ore (feminine plural). This influences how we state the time.

On the Hour:

• For one o'clock: È l'una. (It's one o'clock.)
  • Note the use of È (singular "is") and l'una (the one, referring to one hour).
• For all other hours: Sono le [number]. (It's [number] o'clock.)
  • Sono le due. (It's two o'clock.)
  • Sono le tre. (It's three o'clock.)
  • Sono le undici. (It's eleven o'clock.)
  • Note the use of Sono le (plural "are the").
• For noon and midnight:
  • È mezzogiorno. (It's noon.)
  • È mezzanotte. (It's midnight.)

Including Minutes:

To include minutes past the hour, use e (and) followed by the number of minutes:

• Sono le due e dieci. (It's 2:10 / It's ten past two.)
• È l'una e venti. (It's 1:20 / It's twenty past one.)

Special Minute Expressions:

For other minutes "to" the hour, you state the next hour and use meno (minus) followed by the number of minutes to that hour:

• Sono le sei meno venti. (It's 5:40 / It's twenty to six.)
• È l'una meno dieci. (It's 12:50 / It's ten to one.)

Asking for the Date (Chiedere la data)

To ask for the date, you can say:

• Che giorno è oggi? (What day is it today?)
• Quanti ne abbiamo oggi? (Literally "How many do we have today?" - a common colloquial way to ask for the date number.)

Telling the Date (Dire la data)

The basic structure for stating the date is:

Oggi è [day of the week], il [number] [month] ([year optional]).

• Oggi è lunedì, il primo maggio. (Today is Monday, the first of May.)
  • Note: For the first of the month, use il primo.
• Oggi è martedì, il due giugno. (Today is Tuesday, the second of June.)
• Oggi è venerdì, il venticinque dicembre duemilaventitré. (Today is Friday, the 25th of December 2023.)

The definite article il is used before the number of the day (except if you only say the day of the week, e.g., Oggi è lunedì).

Days of the Week (I Giorni della Settimana)

Days of the week in Italian are generally not capitalized unless they start a sentence. Most are masculine, except for domenica.

Example: Ci vediamo lunedì. (See you on Monday.)

Seasons of the Year (Le Stagioni dell'Anno)

Knowing the seasons is also useful for discussing plans, weather, or preferences. In Italian, "season" is la stagione (feminine singular) and "seasons" are le stagioni (feminine plural).

When talking about something happening "in [season]", you typically use the preposition in: in primavera, in estate, in autunno, in inverno.

Months of the Year (I Mesi dell'Anno)

Months of the year in Italian are also not capitalized. They are all masculine.

Example: Il mio compleanno è a ottobre. (My birthday is in October.) When specifying "in [month]", you often use the preposition a: a gennaio, a febbraio, etc.

Conclusion: It's Time to Practice! (È ora di praticare!)

Learning to tell the time and date is a practical skill that you'll use constantly. Remember the key phrases: Che ore sono?, È l'una, Sono le..., Che giorno è oggi?, and Oggi è.... Pay attention to the use of articles and the feminine nature of ora/ore.

The best way to master this is through consistent practice. Try to think about the current time and date in Italian throughout your day. Our interactive online Italian classes offer ample opportunities to practice these essential conversational elements. If you're looking for dedicated courses, consider our Italian language classes in Chennai.

Continua a praticare e presto parlare di orari e date diventerà naturale! (Keep practicing, and soon talking about times and dates will become natural!)