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Telling Time in Italian·Informal Time Expressions
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Rule reminder

In informal speech, Italians use the 12-hour clock with time-of-day qualifiers. They also use shortcuts: 'le tre' (instead of 'Sono le tre'), 'un attimo' (one moment), 'fra poco' (in a little while), 'poco fa' (a little while ago).

Informal Time Expressions1 / 10

In casual speech, an Italian friend might say just 'Le tre e mezza!' What does this mean?

More in this section

→ Che ore sono? — Asking the Time→ Che ora è? — Alternative Way to Ask the Time→ Answering Time Questions→ Formal Time Expressions
📝 Take the Section 4 Mini-Exam← Back to Telling Time in Italian