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Getting started with Italian 2
Getting started with Italian 2

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6 Talking about different times of the day

To specify whether the time referred to is mattina (morning), pomeriggio (afternoon), sera (evening) or notte (night), use di after the indication of time.

  • Sono le sette di mattina.
  • It’s seven o’clock in the morning.
    • Di mattina tends to be used until 11 a.m.
  • Sono le nove di sera.
  • It’s nine o’clock in the evening.
    • Di sera tends to be used until 11 p.m. (but usage can vary depending on the part of the country).
  • Sono le due di notte.
  • It’s two o’clock in the morning.
    • Di notte is used for the early morning hours.

With pomeriggio, it’s more common to use del than di.

  • Sono le tre del pomeriggio.
  • It’s three o’clock in the afternoon.
    • Del pomeriggio tends to be used until 6 p.m. (but usage can vary depending on the part of the country).

Note that the abbreviations a.m. and p.m. are not used in Italian at all.