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How to Say ‘It's nine o'clock’ in Italian

Sono le nove

SOH-noh leh NOH-veh

[SOH-noh leh NOH-veh]

💬 Usage Tip: Hours are counted as plural, so it's sono le "they are the" plus the number: sono le tre. The one exception is one o'clock: è l'una.

Phrase Breakdown

Sono

[SOH-noh]

it is (with hours)

Plural form of 'essere' used when telling the time for hours other than one.

Example

Sono le due.

It's two o'clock.

[leh]

the (with hours)

Feminine plural article used before hours, since 'ore' (hours) is implied.

Example

Sono le cinque.

It's five o'clock.

nove

[NOH-veh]

Nine

The number that comes after eight and before ten.

Example

Ci sono nove studenti in classe.

There are nine students in the class.

Guides for Italian learners

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