Asking and telling the time
To ask for the time, use the phrase che ore sono? (literally, "what hours are they?").
To answer, use sono le followed by the hour. We use the feminine plural article le because it refers to le ore (the hours). To add fractions of an hour, use e (and) followed by the minutes, un quarto (a quarter), or mezzo (half).
Counting down to the next hour
Past the half-hour mark, Italians often state the upcoming hour and subtract from it using meno (less / to).
Note that one o'clock is singular (l'ora), so you use è l'una (it is one) instead of sono le.
When talking about a duration rather than the time on the clock, use il minuto (minute).
Saying "at what time"
To ask when an event happens, use a che ora...? (at what time...?).
To say something happens at a certain time, most hours take alle (a + le). However, mezzogiorno (noon) and mezzanotte (midnight) take just a (without an article).
You can add fractions to these times just like regular hours.
Being late
To express that a person or vehicle is running late, use di ritardo (of delay) after the amount of time.
