🎯 Learning Objective
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to say the days of the week and months of the year, ask and tell the time, use useful scheduling phrases, and make simple plans or book a table in Italian — all with confidence!
📚 Where We Are in the Series
Welcome back! Here’s a quick reminder of the ground we’ve covered so far — each lesson builds on the last, so don’t worry if you need to revisit an earlier one.
| Lesson | Topic | Key Skills |
|---|---|---|
| Lesson 1 | Greetings & Introductions | Saying hello and goodbye, introducing yourself, asking someone’s name |
| Lesson 2 | Numbers & Colours | Counting, describing objects by colour, basic quantities |
| Lesson 3 | Food & Restaurant Ordering | Reading a menu, ordering food and drinks, asking for the bill |
| Lesson 4 | Days, Months & Telling the Time ← You are here | Days of the week, months, telling the time, making plans, booking tables |
📖 Vocabulary: Days of the Week
In Italian, the days of the week are not capitalised (unlike in English). They are masculine, except for domenica (Sunday), which is feminine. The week traditionally begins on Monday (lunedì) in Italy.
I Giorni della Settimana — The Days of the Week
- lunedì — Monday
- martedì — Tuesday
- mercoledì — Wednesday
- giovedì — Thursday
- venerdì — Friday
- sabato — Saturday
- domenica — Sunday (feminine)
I Mesi dell’Anno — The Months of the Year
| Italian | English | Italian | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| gennaio | January | luglio | July |
| febbraio | February | agosto | August |
| marzo | March | settembre | September |
| aprile | April | ottobre | October |
| maggio | May | novembre | November |
| giugno | June | dicembre | December |
💡 Quick note: Like the days of the week, months in Italian are not capitalised. To say “in” a particular month, use a for most months: a gennaio (in January), a luglio (in July). For months beginning with a vowel, use ad: ad agosto (in August), ad ottobre (in October).
🕐 How to Ask and Tell the Time
- Che ora è? / Che ore sono? — What time is it?
- È l’una. — It is one o’clock.
- Sono le due. — It is two o’clock. (Use sono le… for all hours except one, noon, and midnight.)
- Sono le tre e mezza. — It is half past three.
📅 Useful Scheduling Phrases
| Italian | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Che ora è? / Che ore sono? | What time is it? | Che ora è, per favore? |
| È l’una. | It is one o’clock. | È l’una e dieci. (1:10) |
| Sono le [number]. | It is [number] o’clock. | Sono le quattro. (4:00) |
| … e un quarto | … quarter past | Sono le cinque e un quarto. (5:15) |
| … e mezza | … half past | Sono le sei e mezza. (6:30) |
| … meno un quarto | … quarter to | Sono le otto meno un quarto. (7:45) |
| È mezzogiorno. | It is noon. | È mezzogiorno e mezza. (12:30) |
| È mezzanotte. | It is midnight. | È mezzanotte meno un quarto. (23:45) |
Once you can tell the time, you can start making plans. These phrases combine the time vocabulary with everyday situations such as booking a table at a restaurant, arranging to meet a friend, or asking when something opens.
Top tip: “A che ora…?” (At what time…?) is one of the most useful phrases you’ll use every day in Italy!
🎭 Dialogue: Booking a Table and Making Plans
Read this short conversation between two friends (Anna and Marco) as they arrange to meet and book a restaurant table. Try reading it aloud — pay attention to the time and day phrases!
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| A che ora…? | At what time…? |
| Sei libero/a…? (m/f) | Are you free…? |
| Ci vediamo [day] alle [time]. | Let’s meet on [day] at [time]. |
| Va bene per me. | That works for me. |
| Mi dispiace, non posso. | I’m sorry, I can’t. |
| Posso prenotare un tavolo per…? | Can I book a table for…? |
| Vorrei prenotare per [number] persone. | I would like to book for [number] people. |
| per venerdì sera alle otto | for Friday evening at eight |
| Oggi è [day]. | Today is [day]. |
| Domani è [day]. | Tomorrow is [day]. |
| la settimana prossima | next week |
| il mese prossimo | next month |
Anna: Ciao Marco! Sei libero giovedì sera?
(Hi Marco! Are you free Thursday evening?)
Marco: Giovedì? Sì, sono libero! A che ora?
(Thursday? Yes, I’m free! At what time?)
Anna: Alle otto. Vorrei prenotare un tavolo al ristorante Bella Napoli. Va bene per te?
(At eight o’clock. I’d like to book a table at Bella Napoli restaurant. Does that work for you?)
Marco: Sì, va bene per me! Quante persone?
(Yes, that works for me! How many people?)
Anna: Siamo in quattro. Ci vediamo giovedì alle otto!
(There are four of us. See you Thursday at eight!)
Marco: Perfetto! A giovedì, Anna!
(Perfect! See you Thursday, Anna!)
✅ Comprehension Exercise
Read the dialogue above, then answer these questions in English.
- On which day do Anna and Marco decide to meet?
- At what time is their reservation?
- What does Marco ask to confirm before ending the conversation?
- What does Anna say to express that a time works for her?
✏️ Practice Task
Now it’s your turn! Use what you’ve learned today to complete the following tasks. Work through them at your own pace — there’s no rush.
- Write the days of the week from memory — try listing all seven in Italian without looking at your notes. Check back to see how you did!
- Say today’s date aloud in Italian — for example: Oggi è martedì, il quindici marzo. (Today is Tuesday, the fifteenth of March.)
- Tell the time for three different times of day — write or say them aloud. For example: 9:00, 14:30, 20:15.
- Write a short message to a friend arranging to meet — include the day, the time, and where you’d like to go. Use Sei libero/a…? and Ci vediamo… from today’s phrases.
- Bonus: Can you name the current month and the next two months in Italian? Try it!
💡 Tip: Try setting your phone’s language to Italian for a day — you’ll see the days and months in Italian everywhere and they’ll stick much faster. In bocca al lupo! (Good luck!)
🎉 Well done for completing Lesson 4! In the next lesson, we’ll explore shopping and prices — you’ll learn how to ask how much something costs, talk about sizes and colours (remember those from Lesson 2?), and navigate a market or shop with confidence. Keep practising and see you in Lesson 5!
👁️ Show Answers
- They decide to meet on Thursday (giovedì).
- Their reservation is at eight o’clock (alle otto).
- Marco asks how many people will be coming (Quante persone?).
- Anna says “Va bene per me!” — meaning “That works for me!”
