le nove
/le ˈnɔ.ve/word by word
Nine o'clock in Italian is le nove.
Use le nove to refer to the start of the tenth hour. If you want to specify the time of day, you can add di mattina to say nine o'clock in the morning or di sera to say nine o'clock in the evening.
Meaning: the start of the tenth hour (noun)
Which one should you use?
To specify that it is exactly nine o'clock on the dot, you can use either nove in punto or le nove in punto.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase le nove uses a feminine plural article because the implied noun is ore (hours).
How do you pronounce it?
/le ˈnɔ.ve/. The word has 3 syllables and the stress is on the second syllable.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the masculine singular il nove or the masculine plural i nove to tell the time. In Italian, time is always expressed using the feminine plural.
Did you know?
- While le nove refers to the time, using the masculine il nove refers specifically to the number nine, such as a date on a calendar or a player's jersey number.
- The word nove shares a common ancestor with the English word 'nine', both descending from the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁néwn̥.
Examples in context
- Sono già le nove.It's already nine o'clock.Tatoeba #610717 by rado, translation #31681 by CK
- Disse: "Sono le nove."He said, "It's nine o'clock."Tatoeba #5646936 by Guybrush88, translation #295564 by CM
- Devi essere a casa per le nove.You have to be home by nine o'clock.Tatoeba #1535677 by Guybrush88, translation #72280 by CK
- Ci vediamo al bar alle nove, va bene?See you at the bar at nine o'clock, okay?
- nove di seraNine in the evening
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is discussing their morning schedule.
- MartinaA che ora inizia la riunione?What time does the meeting start?
- MatteoDeve essere per le nove.It should be at nine o'clock.
- MartinaMatteo, sarai pronto per le nove?Matteo, will you be ready by nine o'clock?
- MatteoSì, Martina, non preoccuparti.Yes, Martina, don't worry.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (le, nove) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries le, nove, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
