sette e mezza
/ˈsɛt.te ˈe ˈmɛd.d͡za/word by word
Seven thirty in Italian is sette e mezza.
This phrase refers to the time that is thirty minutes past seven o'clock.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase sette e mezza literally translates to 'seven and a half'.
Which one should you use?
While sette e mezza is the most common way to say seven thirty in conversation, le sette e trenta is a more formal or precise way to express the same time.
How does it change in a sentence?
When stating the time, the phrase is preceded by the feminine plural article le because it refers to le ore (the hours).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- While sette e mezza is common, Italians often use the 24-hour clock for official schedules. You might see 19:30 written as diciannove e trenta on a train ticket or movie listing.
- In Italian, the word for 'half' changes gender. In sette e mezza, the word is feminine because it refers to the feminine noun ora (hour).
- The word sette descends from the Latin septem, which comes from the Proto-Indo-European root *septḿ̥.
Examples in context
- Erano le sette e mezza.It was seven thirty.This sentence is useful for showing how to use sette e mezza in the past tense.Tatoeba #4865188 by Guybrush88, translation #264925 by CK
- La lezione inizia alle sette e trentaThe lesson starts at seven thirty
- Arriverò verso le sette e trentaI'll arrive around seven thirty
- Il treno parte alle sette e mezza.The train leaves at seven thirty.
- Ci vediamo alle sette e mezza.We'll see each other at seven thirty.
Example conversation
Chiara and Alessandro are deciding when to meet for dinner.
- ChiaraA che ora ci vediamo?What time shall we meet?
- AlessandroPossiamo trovarci alle sette e mezza.We can meet at seven thirty.
- ChiaraVa bene per me.That works for me.
- AlessandroPerfetto, a dopo!Perfect, see you later!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (sette, e, mezza) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries e, sette, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
