How do you say "How long does it take?" in Italian?

"How long does it take?" in Italian is "Quanto tempo ci vuole?". This phrase is commonly used in Italy.

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How to Say ‘How long does it take?’ in Italian

Q: What does "Quanto tempo ci vuole?" mean in English?

"Quanto tempo ci vuole?" means "How long does it take?" in English. Usage tip: In [ci vuole], [ci] means "for that/for it," so the whole phrase is literally more like "how much time does it take for that?" You'll also hear [ci vogliono] with plural things: [Ci vogliono due ore].

Quanto tempo ci vuole?

KWAHN-toh TEM-poh chee VWOH-leh

[KWAHN-toh TEM-poh chee VWOH-leh]

💬 Usage Tip: In [ci vuole], [ci] means "for that/for it," so the whole phrase is literally more like "how much time does it take for that?" You'll also hear [ci vogliono] with plural things: [Ci vogliono due ore].

Phrase Breakdown

Quanto

[KWAHN-toh]

how much

Used here in the sense of 'how much/how long'.

Example

Quanto tempo ci vuole? Quanto tempo devo aspettare?

How long does it take? How long do I have to wait?

tempo

[TEM-poh]

time

Tempo means 'time'; in this phrase it asks about duration.

Example

Quanto tempo ci vuole? Il tempo di viaggio è breve?

How long does it take? Is the travel time short?

[chee]

to get there

Here ci refers to reaching a place: 'to get there'.

Example

Quanto tempo ci vuole? Ci vuole più di mezz'ora?

How long does it take? Does it take more than half an hour?

vuole

[VWOH-leh]

it takes

Third-person singular of volere; in this expression it means 'it takes'.

Example

Quanto tempo ci vuole? Vuole venti minuti in autobus?

How long does it take? Does it take twenty minutes by bus?

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