Italian · CEFR Band 1 (A1) · Chapter 16
Che ore sono?What time is it?
Chapter 12's numbers find their first big job: the time. The surprise is that in Italian the hours are PLURAL and feminine: Sono le dieci — «sono» because the hours are many, «le» because they are feminine. One single exception: È l'una. With the time come the parts of the day — la mattina, il pomeriggio, la sera, la notte — and the formula alle: alle otto = «when the clock strikes eight». Mike tries «è dieci»… and the chapter puts him on schedule.
Dialogue
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È dieci?— «It is ten»?
- MarcoMike, che ore sono?Mike, what time is it? (literally: what hours are they?)
- MikeÈ… dieci!It is… ten! (A singular verb for the time — the slip this chapter fixes: Italian hours come in the plural.)
- MarcoSONO LE dieci! Le ore sono tante — e femminili: sono le dieci, sono le otto.SONO LE dieci! The hours are many — and feminine: sono le dieci, sono le otto.
- MikeSono le dieci… e mezzo! E l'una? Sono le una?It's half past ten! And one o'clock? «Sono le una»?
- MarcoNo — l'una è sola: È L'UNA. E alle undici… il cappuccino!No — one o'clock stands alone: È L'UNA. And at eleven (alle undici)… cappuccino time! (alle = «at» + the hour; its full story is chapter 25's.)
Dialogue
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La mattina, la sera— Morning, evening
- GiuliaMarco, che ore sono? Sono le otto?Marco, what time is it? Is it eight?
- MarcoNo, sono le sette e mezzo. La mattina il bar è pieno di cappuccini!No, it's half past seven. In the morning the bar is full of cappuccinos! (la mattina — the bare day-part means «in the morning»; pieno di «full of», glossed.)
- GiuliaE la sera? La passeggiata è alle sei!And in the evening? The passeggiata is at six!
- MarcoSì! E la notte? La notte è per la buonanotte!Yes! And the night? The night is for buonanotte! (Chapter 2's farewell, finally in its natural habitat.)
Vocabulary
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- l'ora
n.f.the hour, the time (le ore — feminine, and the reason the clock speaks in the plural)
- che ore sono?
phrasewhat time is it? (lit. what hours are they?)
- sono le… / è l'una
phraseit's … o'clock (sono le dieci) — with one o'clock the lone singular: è l'una
- e mezzo
phrasehalf past (sono le sette e mezzo); minutes ride the same e: le sette e dieci
- alle…
phraseat … o'clock (alle otto = at eight; a chunk for now — the a+le merge is chapter 25's story)
- un minuto
n.m.a minute (also the plea: un minuto! = just a minute!)
- oggi
adverbtoday
- la mattina
n.f.the morning (bare, it means «in the morning»: la mattina lavoro)
- il pomeriggio
n.m.the afternoon (double gg — hold it: pomerig-gio)
- la sera
n.f.the evening (buonasera's home)
- la notte
n.f.the night (double tt; buonanotte's home)
Grammar
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The time: sono le dieci, è l'una
Explanation
The question is plural — Che ore sono? — and so is the answer: Sono le dieci. Why? Behind it sits the word ora, feminine: sono le (ore) dieci — the hours stay hidden, but they leave behind the article le and the verb sono. The only lonely hour is one: È l'una. The pieces after the hour attach with e: le sette e mezzo, le otto e dieci, le nove e un quarto (quarto = 15 minutes, you will meet it often). To say AT what time, use alle: La passeggiata è alle sei. Alle otto lavoro. With one o'clock: all'una. Take these as formulas for now — the a+le=alle mechanism is chapter 25's treasure. Finally the day parts, which work as adverbs with no preposition: la mattina lavoro, la sera c'è la passeggiata, la notte dormo. Question, answer, appointment: the Italian clock is yours.
Examples
- Che ore sono? — Sono le dieci.the plural exchange — the hidden word ore leaves its article and verb behind
- È l'una. — Sono le due.one o'clock alone in the singular; from two on, the plural takes over
- Sono le sette e mezzo. Sono le otto e dieci.e attaches the extras: half, quarter, minutes — the ch12 numbers back on duty
- La mattina lavoro; la sera, la passeggiata — alle sei.day parts as bare adverbs + alle for the appointment
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