da quanto tempo!
/da ˈkwan.to ˈtɛm.po/word by word
The English phrase 'long time no see' can be translated into Italian as da quanto tempo! If unsure, use da quanto tempo! Wiktionary also lists ne è passato di tempo.
Meaning: idiomatic: I (or we) have not seen you for a long time (intj)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA |
|---|---|
| da quanto tempo! | /da ˈkwan.to ˈtɛm.po/ (word by word) |
| ne è passato di tempo |
da quanto tempo! is the most common way to express the idea of 'long time no see' when greeting someone you have not seen in a while.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase da quanto tempo! literally translates to 'since how much time!'
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the expression more complete and explicit, you can add non ci vediamo (we haven't seen each other) to the end: da quanto tempo non ci vediamo!
How do you pronounce it?
/da ˈkwan.to ˈtɛm.po/. The stressed syllable is the second of five.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the word tempo is used for both 'time' and 'weather', which is why che tempo fa? asks 'what is the weather like?'
- If you want to sound more dramatic about how much time has passed, Italians might use the word secoli, meaning 'centuries', instead of tempo.
- While da quanto tempo! is a greeting, Italians often follow it with a physical gesture like a double-cheek kiss or a warm hug to emphasize the lost time.
Examples in context
- Quanto tempo! È veramente un piacere rivederti!Long time no see! It's really nice to see you again!
- Hey! Quanto tempo senza vedersi! Come stai?Hey! Long time no see! How are you?
- Ma guarda un po' chi c'è! Quanto tempo!Well, look who's here! Long time no see!
- Ma da quanto tempo!Oh, it's been such a long time!
Example conversation
Two friends bump into each other on the street.
- MartinaLorenzo, da quanto tempo!Lorenzo, long time no see!
- LorenzoMartina! È passato un secolo.Martina! It's been a century.
- MartinaCosa fai di bello qui?What brings you here?
- LorenzoSono qui per lavoro.I am here for work.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “long time no see” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (da, quanto, tempo) and can differ in connected speech.
