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How to Say ‘Yes, it took me three hours!’ in Italian

Sì, ci ho messo tre ore!

see chee oh MES-soh treh OH-reh

[see chee oh MES-soh treh OH-reh]

Phrase Breakdown

Sì, ci ho messo

see chee oh MES-soh

Yes, it took me

Pause briefly after 'Sì'. 'Ci ho' flows together as 'chee-oh', and the double 's' in 'messo' is held a little longer.

Example

Sì, ci ho messo tanto tempo.

Yes, it took me a long time.

Words in this phrase

Sì

[see]

yes

A simple affirmative answer, useful in conversation and interviews.

Example

Rispondo "Sì" quando mi chiedono se mi interessa la cultura aziendale.

I answer "Yes" when they ask me if I am interested in the company culture.

[chee]

(it) - used with 'metterci' for time taken

Particle forming the idiom 'metterci', meaning to take time to do something.

Example

Ci vuole un'ora, ci ho messo tanto.

It takes an hour, it took me a long time.

[oh]

I have

First person singular of avere, used with a past participle to form the present perfect.

Example

Ho parlato con tre aziende oggi.

I have spoken with three companies today.

messo

[MES-soh]

taken (time)

Past participle of 'mettere'; with 'ci' it means to spend/take time.

Example

Quanto ci hai messo?

How long did it take you?

tre ore!

treh OH-reh

three hours!

Stress the first syllable of 'ore' ('OH-reh'), and say it with enthusiasm.

Example

Abbiamo aspettato tre ore!

We waited three hours!

Words in this phrase

tre

[treh]

three

A number used to count quantity or duration.

Example

Ho fatto tre colloqui questa settimana.

I had three interviews this week.

ore

[OH-reh]

hours

Plural of 'ora' (hour).

Example

Il ristorante apre tra due ore.

The restaurant opens in two hours.

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