Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| adesso | /aˈdɛs.so/ | |
| ora | /ˈo.ra/ | |
| mo | /ˈmɔ/ /ˈmo/ |
dialectal |
The words adesso and ora are used to mean "at the present time". The word ora has an additional function as an interjection used to signal the start of an action, similar to the English "Come on" or "Now then".
Which one should you use?
While adesso and ora are often interchangeable, adesso is slightly more common in spoken, everyday Italian. ora can feel a bit more neutral or slightly more formal depending on the context.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
adesso is suitable for both formal and informal situations. ora is also used in both formal and informal settings. For a formal way to express "now", you can use the phrase in questo momento.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Naples dialect, mo is used as a short form of adesso to convey "now".
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
adesso is pronounced /aˈdɛs.so/. The stress is on the 2nd of 3 syllables.
Did you know?
- In Italian, the same word used for 'now' (ora) is also the word for 'hour'.
- The word ora is a linguistic relative of the Spanish word ahora and the Portuguese word agora.
Examples in context
- È in TV ora.He is on TV now.This sentence shows how to use ora to say someone is on TV now.Tatoeba #14002505 by Guybrush88, translation #9023981 by Amastan
- Tom è lì ora.Tom is there now.This sentence uses ora to state that Tom is there now.Tatoeba #2620022 by Guybrush88, translation #2273559 by CK
- Non è lì ora.It's not there now.This sentence uses ora to say that something is not there now.Tatoeba #6179247 by Guybrush88, translation #2891624 by CK
- Ho bisogno di aiuto adesso.I need help now.
- Vieni qui adesso!Come here now!
- Dobbiamo partire ora.We need to leave now.
- Non posso parlare ora.I can't talk now.
- Vieni qui subito!Come here right away!
- Ho bisogno di quella informazione subito.I need that information immediately.
- Dobbiamo risolvere questo problema subito.We must solve this problem right away.
- In questo momento, non posso rispondere.Right now, I can't answer.
- Dobbiamo concentrarci in questo momento.We need to focus at this moment.
- 9512 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Giulia and Alessandro are talking on the phone.
- GiuliaAlessandro, sei libero adesso?Alessandro, are you free now?
- AlessandroNo, sono molto impegnato.No, I am very busy.
- GiuliaVa bene, ti chiamo dopo.Alright, I will call you later.
- AlessandroGrazie, a dopo!Thanks, see you later!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “now” translations and entries adesso, ora, mo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adesso, mo, ora, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
