Chapter 6: TIME, WEATHER, AND MEETINGS

Whilst you’re traveling around Italy, you might need to set-up a meeting with an acquaintance or someone you have met during your trip. To do this, whilst making sure that you’re making use of your newfound language skills, here are a few key phrases that should help you easily accomplish this task.

1. SETTING UP A MEETING

Whether it be business or leisure, knowing the proper way of setting up meetings can certainly help you build friendships with the locals. You need not be fluent in order to do this, either. Just keep in mind some of the useful phrases below and use them whenever possible.

-          Quando ci incontriamo? – When should we meet?

-          Quando le va bene? (formal) – When is the best time for you?

-          Quale settimana? – Which week?

-          Quale giorno? – Which day?

-          Durante il fine settimana? – During the weekend?

-          La settimana prossima? – Next week?

-          Durante la settimana? – During this week?

-          All’inizio della settimana? – At the start of the week?

-          Dove ti piacerebbe andare? – Where would you like to go?

2. SCHEDULING A TIME OF DAY

Now that you’ve figured out how to set a day for your meeting, it’s time to focus choosing the right time. Note that instead of saying AM or PM, Italians use the exact part of the day.

-          Di mattina – In the morning

-          All’ora di pranzo – At lunchtime

-          Prima di pranzo – Before lunchtime

-          Mezzogiorno - Noon

-          Di pomeriggio – In the afternoon

-          Di notte – At night

-          Di sera – In the evening

-          Mezzanotte - Midnight

-          Presto – Early

-          Tardi - Late

-          Piu presto – Earlier

-          Piu tardi – Later

-          Ora – Now

-          Tra poco – Soon

-          Ieri – Yesterday

-          Oggi – Today

-          Subito – Straightaway

-          Domani – Tomorrow

-          Dopodomani – The day after tomorrow

-          In qualche momento – Sometime (not specific)

-          Prima o poi – Sometime (eventually)

-          Tra tre giorni – After three days

-          Alle dieci – Ten o’clock

3. APPOINTMENTS

Below are more appointment related phrases that you can use. This can come in handy if you’re setting up a schedule with the doctor, a business client, or simply going out with local friends:

-          Appuntamento – Appointment

-          Ha un appuntamento? (formal) – Do you have an appointment?

-          Quando ci vogliamo incontrare? (formal) – When do you want to meet?

-          Quando ci incontriamo di nuovo? – When are we meeting again?

-         Quando vuole un appuntamento con il dottore? – When do you want to have your appointment with the doctor?

-          Quando ho il mio appuntamento? – When do I have my appointment?

Next up, we have simple phrases for asking and telling the time.

-          Sa che ore sono? (formal) – Do you have the time?

-          Sai che ore sono? (informal) – Do you have the time?

-          Che ore sono ? – What time is it?

-          A che ora apre ? – What time does it open?

-          A che ora inizia ? – What time does it start?

-          A che ora chiude ? – What time does it close?

-          A che ora? – At what time?

-          Essere in orario – To be on time

-          Essere in ritardo – To be late

-          Sono in anticipo – I’m early

-          Sono in ritardo – I’m late

With all the above in mind, how do you express the exact time of day to anyone who might ask? Below are guides you can use, just switch the hour appropriately.

-          Sono le… - The time is…

-          Sono le 10 meno un quarto – It’s a quarter to ten

-          Sono le 10 e un quarto – It’s a quarter past ten

-          Sono le 10 e 20 – It’s ten and twenty

-          Sono le 10 e mezzo – It’s half past ten

4. DAYS OF THE WEEK AND THE DIFFERENT MONTHS

-          Lunedi – Monday

-          Martedi – Tuesday

-          Mercoledi – Wednesday

-          Giovedi – Thursday

-          Venerdi – Friday

-          Sabato – Saturday

-          Domenica – Sunday

Knowing the proper way of saying the different months should also be helpful if you’re making reservations months in advance. Just make sure you do your best to say it clearly as you wouldn’t want to make any mistakes when it comes to your reservation.

-          Gennaio – January

-          Febbraio – February

-          Marzo – March

-          Aprile – April

-          Maggio – May

-          Giugno – June

-          Luglio – July

-          Agosto – August

-          Settembre – September

-          Ottobre – October

-          Novembre – November

-          Dicembre – December

Lastly, it would also come in handy to familiarize yourself with how to say the different seasons in Italian. Whether it be for scheduling your trip or simply knowing when the best time is to visit, these key phrases will certainly prove to be useful whilst you’re traveling.

-          Primavera – Spring

-          Estate – Summer

-          Autunno – Autumn

-          Inverno – Winter

Primavera in Italy happens during the months of March, April, and May. Estate comes in from June through August, whilst autunno begins during the months of September, October, and November. For those looking for a cold-weather holiday to enjoy Italy during inverno, December to February is the best time to go.

5. ALL ABOUT THE WEATHER

As with any appointment or simple rendezvous with friends, weather plays a key role when it comes to its success. This is why it’s also essential for you to be able to express your thoughts on the weather and relay that information to the people you’re meeting up with.

-          Il Tempo – The weather

-          Che tempo fa ? – What’s the weather like?

-          Le previsioni del tempo – The weather forecast

-          Fa caldo – It’s warm

-          Fa caldissimo – It’s very hot

-          Il caldo è insopportabile – The heat is too much

-          Fa un po’ freddo – It’s a little cold

-          Comincia a far freddo – It’s becoming cold

-          Fa freddo – It’s cold

-          E’ freddissimo – It’s icy

-          Fa bel tempo – The weather is beautiful

-          Che bella giornata – Such a beautiful day

-          Fa cattivo tempo – The weather is terrible

-          Fa brutto tempo – The weather is bad

-          E’ umido – It’s humid

-          Il vento – The wind

-          E’ burrascoso – It is stormy

-          Tira vento/ c’e vento – It is windy

-          Il sole – The sun

-          La nuvola – The cloud

-          C’e il sole – It’s sunny

-          E’ nuvuloso – It’s cloudy

-          La pioggia – The rain

-          C’è nebbia – It’s foggy

-          Piove – It’s raining

-          Grandine – Hail

-          Nevica – It’s snowing

-          Neve – Snow

-          Nuvola – Cloud

-          Tuonare – To thunder

-          Tuono – Thunder

-          Lampo – Lightning

-          Temporale/Tempesta – Storm

-          Arcobaleno – Rainbow

-          Temperatura – Temperature

-          Gelo – Frost

-          Foschia – Mist

Common weather related idioms that you can use:

-          Piove a dirotto – It’s raining too much

-          Piove a catinelle – It’s like raining is pouring from basins

-          Piove che Dio la manda – It’s raining as if God has sent it