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How to Say ‘What time were you thinking of coming?’ in Italian

A che ora pensava di venire?

ah keh OH-rah pehn-SAH-vah dee veh-nee-reh

[ah keh OH-rah pehn-SAH-vah dee veh-nee-reh]

🇮🇹 In Italy: Italians eat dinner late, often around 8 to 9 pm, and later in the south. Asking for 6:30 may find the kitchen not yet open.

Phrase Breakdown

A che ora

ah keh OH-rah

At what time

The question opener. Say 'che' as 'keh' and let it flow into 'ora'.

Example

A che ora finisce?

At what time does it end?

Words in this phrase

[ah]

Used with time expressions.

Example

Ci vediamo a quest'ora domani.

See you at this time tomorrow.

che

[keh]

what

Question word used to ask for information or specification.

Example

Che tipo di ruolo cerchi?

What kind of role are you looking for?

ora

[OH-rah]

Hour

Unit of time. Used to ask for or indicate time.

Example

A che ora ci vediamo?

At what hour do we meet?

pensava di venire?

pehn-SAH-vah dee veh-nee-reh

were you thinking of coming?

Formal 'you' in the imperfect, used politely. Stress pen-SA-va and ve-NI-re, with the voice rising at the end.

Example

Pensava di venire in macchina?

Were you thinking of coming by car?

Words in this phrase

pensava

[pehn-SAH-vah]

were you thinking

Imperfect of 'pensare', used politely with formal 'Lei'.

Example

Pensava di restare a lungo?

Were you thinking of staying long?

[dee]

Used before a verb to show intention or purpose.

Example

Provo di aprirlo con calma.

I try to open it slowly.

venire

[veh-nee-reh]

come

To move towards or arrive at a particular place.

Example

Ha bisogno di venire più vicino.

She needs to come closer.

Guides for Italian learners

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