Italian phone numbers can have from five through ten (or even more) digits.

Area codes are either two or three digits, almost always start with zero, and may or may not have to be dialed within local areas -- in Rome, for example, the 06 area code has to be dialed before local numbers.

To speak a phone number, first say the individual digits of the area code (e.g., "zero, sei" for Rome, or "zero, sette, uno" for Ancona).

then say the numbers in groups of two (55551515 is "cinquantacinque, cinquantacinque, quindici, quindici" -- 55-55-15-15.) if there are three digits left at the end of the number, they are combined into a group (55151 is "cinquantacinque, centocinquantuno" -- 55-151 -- never "cinquantacinque, quindici, uno.")

A number including its area code combines the two usages. (Ancona 555151 is "zero, sette, zero, cinquantacinque, centocinquantuno" -- 1-7-1-55-151.)

The country code for Italy is 39 and is said as a two number group ("trentanove") before all the other numbers (Rome, Italy 55551515 is "trentanove, zero, sei, cinquantacinque, cinquantacinque, quindici, quindici" -- 39-0-6-55-55-15-15.)

If you ask for a repeat, and the person on the line recognizes that you are a foreigner, you may get all the digits individually (39 06 55551515 would be "tre, nove, zero, sei, cinque, cinque, etc." -- 3-9-0-6-5-5-etc.)

Collective numerals are numbers that indicate an approximate quantity. Most of these numbers are formed by adding the suffiix -ina to the cardinal number (minus the final letter). Collective numerals are nouns and take the preposition di before another noun.

Ho parlato con un quarantina di studenti. (I spoke with about 40 students.)

12 roses (12, an exact number) una dozzina di rose (an approximation, around 12)

venti (twenty) una ventina (around twenty)

cinquanta (fifty) una cinquantina (around fifty)

Exceptions:

un centinaio (pl. centinaia) around a hundred (hundreds);

un migliaio (pl. migliaia) around one thousand (thousands)

Ordinal Numbers

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ORDINAL NUMBERS EXPRESS DEGREE, QUALITY, OR POSITION IN A SERIES OR SUCCESSION.

1st primo 11th undicesimo/

decimoprimo 100th centesimo

2nd secondo 12th dodicesimo/

decimosecondo 200th du(e)centesimo

3rd terzo 13th tredicesimo/

decimoterzo 300th trecentesimo

4th quarto etc. etc.

5th quinto

6th sesto 20th ventesimo 101st centunesimo/

centesimo primo

7th settimo 30th trentesimo etc.

8th ottavo etc.

9th nono 1,000th millesimo

10th decimo 21st ventunesimo/

ventesimo primo

22nd ventiduesimo/

ventesimo secondo 1,000,000th milionesimo

etc.

nth ennesimo

last ultimo

As in English, ennesimo <nth> can mean "any number" or can mean "utmost"

Ordinals agree with the nouns the modify in gender and number

Ordinals normally precede the noun the modify ("il primo capitolo" <the first chapter>) but can follow the noun for empasis and always follow the noun to indicate lines of succession of kings, Popes, ect.: Enrico Ottavo <Henry the Eighth>, Papa Pio decimo < Pope Pius the Tenth.

As in English, ordinals can be used without the noun they modify, but if the noun is known the ordinal should be inflected.

Only the ordinal primo is used in dates: Oggi e il primo (di) febbraio <Today is the first of February.>

All other dates us cardinal numbers: Oggi e il cinque (di) Febbraio <Today is February the fifth.>)

"To the nth power"

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x al quadrato = x squared

x al cubo = x cubed

x alla quarta (potenza) = x to the fourth (power)

x all'ennesima (potenza) = x to the nth (power)

radice quadrata di x = the square root of x

radice cubica di x = the cube root of x

quarta radice di x = the fourth root of x

ennesima radice di x = the nth root of x

Time

What hour is it?

Che ora e? / Che ore sono?e l'una ----> di notte ---->

di pomeriggio ----> it's one a.m.

it's one p.m.

e mezzogiorno ----> ----> it's noon

e mezzanotte ----> ----> it's midnight

sono le due

del pomeriggio ----> ----> it's two p.m.

sono le quattro ----> di notte ---->

del pomeriggio ----> it's four a.m.

it's four p.m.

sone le cinque ----> di mattina ---->

del pomeriggio ----> it's five a.m.

it's five p.m.

sono le undici ----> di mattina ---->

di notte ----> it's 11 a.m.

it's 11 p.m.

Because the word ora,-a is implied, the feminine definite article is used.

Italian uses e (singular) for 1 o'clock and sono (plural) for hours more than one o'clock.

e l'una <It's one o'clock>

sono le sei <it's ("they are") six o'clock>

Morning, Noon and Night:

A.M. (antimeridiano) and P.M. (postmeridiano) exist in Italian, and the abreviations are the same as in English, but they are rarely used. Some Italians use a.m./p.m only when talking to foreigners.

di mattina (5 a.m. to noon),

del pomeriggio (noon to 5/6 p.m.),

di sera (5/6 p.m. to 10 p.m.), and

di notte (10 p.m. to 5 a.m.) are more commonly used.

Borders between pomeriggio / sera / notte / mattina vary considerably, but the mattina / pomeriggio line is more consistently at noon.

"Mezzogiorno," however, can stretch out several hours into a long lunch. "il mezzogiorno" is the south of Italy, which is famous for long lazy afternoons. "a mezzogiorno" means <in the south>, while "al sud" means <to the south.> "sono a mezzogiorno" can mean <they are lazy> as well as <they are taking a long lunch.>

Minutes are added to the hour using e <and>:

sono le due e venti. = <it's 2:20>

E l'una e trentotto = <it's 1:38>

Sono le otto e cinquantanove = <it's 8:59.>

Minutes past the half hour can also be expressed as:

the next hour minus (meno) the minutes until the next hour --

Sono le dieci meno venti = <it's 20 minutes before 10> or <it's 9:40>,

or as:

Minutes "left to go" (mancare = to be lacking) before the next hour --

Mancano dieci minuti alle sette = <it is (They are lacking) ten minutes before seven>

Manca un/uno minuto alla sei = <it is (it is lacking) a/one minute before six.

Rarely, minutes can be added to any time for emphasis, meaning "you are this many minutes late" --

Sono le nove e venticinque e dieci <(roughly) It's 9:35 and you were supposed to be here ten minutes ago at 9:25.>

Quarters and thirds of Hours:

(ora,-e) e un quarto <a quarter past>

... e mezzo/mezza <half past>

... e tre quarti <three quarters past> (rarely used)

... meno un quarto <a quarter to>

... e un terzo/terza <20 past> (rarely)

... meno un terzo/terza <20 til> <Rarely>

At what time? When?

A Che ore ...?

A mezzogiorno <at noon>

All'una precisa <at one o'clock sharp>

alle otto precise <at eight sharp>

alle otto e trentotto <at 8:38>

Time expressions:

in anticipo <early, ahead of time>

in orario <on time>

in ritardo <late>

in punto <sharp, on the dot, punctual(ly)

precisa,-e <sharp>

le ore di punta <rush hour(s)>

la mattina <in the morning>

il pomeriggio <in the afternoon>

la sera <in the evening>

la notte <at night>

E' presto <It's early/it's on time>

E' tardi <it's late>

ieri <yesterday>

ieri l'altro/l'alto ieri <the day before yesterday/the other day>

oggi <today>

domani <tommorow><figuratively -- "whenever">

dopodomani <the day after tomorrow>

...fa <...ago> --

venti minuti fa <20 minutes ago>

molto tempo fa <a long time ago>

secoli fa <centuries ago>

Fra...e... <between...and...> --

fra otto e nove <between 8 and 9>

circa <about/approximately> --

e circa l'una <it's about one>

Sono circa le tre <it's about three>

One Time, Two Times, Many times, at times, Sometimes, etc.

Volta,-e

La volta expresses repetative time:

Dillo ancora una volta <SAy it once more (one more time)>

Quante volte ...? <How many times ...?>

A volte .... <At times ....>

Qualche volta... <sometimes> --

volta is singular because qualche is always followed by singular nouns

La secunda volta <the second time>

Mille volta <a thousant times> <countless times>

c'era una volta <there once was/once upon a time>

una volta per sempre <once and for all>

per l'ultima volta <for the last time>

tre volte stupido <utterly stupid>

ogni volta <every/each time>

due per volta/tre per volta/etc. <two at a time/three at a time/etc.>

la volta tua <your turn>

la prossima volta <the next time>

la altra volta <the other time>

un'altra volta <another time>

etc.

Days, months, seasons, years, dates

Days of the week:

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Lunedi <(on) Monday>

Martedi <(on) Tuesday>

Mercolodi <(on) Wednesday>

Giovedi <(on) Thursday>

Venerdi <(on) Friday>

Sabato <(on) Saturday>

Domenica(F) <(on) Sunday>

THE DEFINITE ARTICLE IS USED WITH DAYS TO MEAN "EVERY":

LA DOMEMICA = <EVERY SUNDAY>

IL VENERDI = <EVERY FRIDAY>

MONTHS:

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GENNAIO <JANUARY>

FEBBRAIO <FEBRUARY>

MARZO <MARCH>

APRILE <APRIL>

MAGGIO <MAY>

GIUGNO <JUNE>

LUGLIO <JULY>

AGOSTO <AUGUST>

SETTEMBRE <SEPTEMBER>

OTTOBRE <OCTOBER>

NOVEMBRE <NOVEMBER>

DICEMBRE <DECEMBER>

"IN/A GENNAIO"

SEASONS:

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LA PRIMAVERA <SPRING> (IN PRIMAVERA)

L' ESTATE <SUMMER> (IN ESTATE)

L' AUTUNNO <AUTUMN> (IN AUTUNNO)

L' INVERNO <WINTER> (IN INVERNO)

DATES:

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"QUAL E' LA DATA?"

RESPONSES:

"OGGIE E' IL PRIMO (DI) FEBBRAIO." (FIRST DAY OF EACH MONTH)

"OGGIE E' IL SETTE (DI) MAGGIO." (ALL OTHER DAYS USE CARDINALS)

MUST USE THE DEFINITE ARTICLE.

"DI" IS OPTIONAL.

OR, "QUANTI NE ABBIAMO OGGI?"

RESPONSES:

"NE ABBIAMO UNO."

"NE ABBIAMO CINQUE."

ALWAYS USE ORDINALS.

DEFINITE ARTICLE IS NOT USED.

MONTH NAME IS NOT USED.

Centuries (secoli):

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il Undicento (secolo) = 1101 through 1200

il Duecento (secolo) = 1201 through 1300

il Trecento (secolo) = 1301 throuh 1400

il Quatrocento (secolo) = 1401 through 1500

il Cinquecento (secolo) = 1500 through 1600

il Seicento (secolo) = 1601 through 1700

il Settecento (secolo) = 1701 through 1800

l'Ottocento (secolo) = 1801 through 1900

il Novecento (secolo) = 1901 through 2000

Note that Italian uses "the 1200 (century)" where English uses "the 13th century." The word secolo is used only if needed to avoid confusion.

Centuries are capitalized.

Idiomatic Verb Constructions:

Piacere <to be pleasing to/(roughly) to like>:

Usually used in the third person singular or plural, depending on whether what is pleasing is singular or plural:

Singular --present piace

imperfect piaceva

future piacera

conditional piacerebbe

present perfect e' piaciuto,-a

past perfect era piaciuto,-a

future perfect sara piaciuto,-a

conditional perfect sarebbe piaciuto,-a

Plural --present piacciono

imperfect piacevano

future piaceranno

conditional piacerebbero

present perfect sono piaciuti,-e

past perfect erano piaciuti,-e

future perfect saranno piaciuti,-e

conditional perfect sarebbero piaciuti,-e

Note that piacere is conjugated with essere so the past participle agrees with its subject.

The recipient of the action (the person(s)) to whom something is pleasing is either the indirect object (or the dative object -- indirect object -- pronoun) or the object (or the disjunctive object pronoun) of the preposition "A."

If the indirect object (dative) pronoun is used, it precedes the verb: Mi piace.... and the subject (that which is pleasing) follows the verb: mi piace il film. The verb, naturally, agrees with its subject.

If a + disjunctive is used it Precedes the verb or follows the subject which follows the verb: A me (disjunctive object pronoun) piace il film (subject). -- 0r-- Piace il film (subject) a me(disjunctive pronoun.)

An infinitive can be the subject of piacere:

Mi piace viaggiare. <To travel is pleasing to me./I like to travel.>

Piace viaggiare a me. <To dance is pleasing to me./I like to dance.>

(The English usage of the participle as a noun is not used with piacere.

Fare:

Weather --

Che tempo fa? <How is the weather?/lit.: What weather makes (it)?>

Fa bel (cattivo) tempo. <the weather is good (bad).:/Lit.: It makes good (bad) weather.>

Fa freddo. <It's cold.>

Fa molto caldo. <it's very hot.>

(But: Poive. <It's raining.>, Neve. <It's snowing.>, Tira vento. <The wind is blowing.>

Professions --

Che cosa fa Suo padre? <What does your father do?>

Mio padre fa il medico. <My father is a doctor.>

Faccio il musicista. <I am a musician.>