Grammar

Overview

This topic is foundational to your success in GCSE Italian. Numbers, dates, and times are not just isolated vocabulary words; they are the building blocks of communication. Whether you are describing a past holiday, planning a future trip, or discussing your daily routine, you will need this vocabulary.

Examiners love to test numbers in the Listening and Reading papers because they require precision. A single letter difference (like mille vs milione) can change the entire meaning of a sentence. In the Speaking and Writing papers, using numbers and times accurately allows you to add detail and complexity to your answers, which is essential for reaching the higher mark bands.

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🎧 Listen to the Podcast

Listen to our 10-minute exam boost podcast covering all the core concepts, common mistakes, and a quick-fire recall quiz:

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📖 Essential Vocabulary

Tier 1 — Foundation Core

Tier 2 — Higher Tier

High-Frequency Words & Phrases

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📝 Grammar Focus

Key Structure 1: Forming Cardinal Numbers (11-19)

When to use it: When counting items or stating quantities between 11 and 19.

The Pattern

From 11 to 16, the number ends in -dici. From 17 to 19, the word dici- comes at the beginning.

Irregulars to learn: Note the double consonants in diciassette and diciannove.

Key Structure 2: Ordinal Numbers as Adjectives

When to use it: When describing the order of something (first, second, third, etc.).

The Pattern

Ordinal numbers in Italian behave like regular adjectives ending in -o. They must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they describe.

Irregulars to learn: The first ten ordinal numbers have unique forms. From 11th onwards, drop the final vowel of the cardinal number and add -esimo (e.g., undici -> undicesimo).

Key Structure 3: Telling the Time

When to use it: When stating the current time or the time an event occurs.

The Pattern

Use the verb essere (to be) + the definite article (the) + the hour.

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🎧 Listening Skills

What to Expect

In the listening exam, numbers frequently appear in contexts such as train announcements, shopping dialogues, booking a table at a restaurant, or discussing opening hours. You will need to listen carefully for specific times, prices, dates, and quantities.

Listening Strategies

• Write numbers as digits: When you hear a number, quickly jot it down as a digit (e.g., write '14' instead of 'quattordici') in the margin to save time.
• Listen for the 'e' and 'meno': When hearing times, pay close attention to whether the speaker says e (past) or meno (to). Sono le tre e un quarto (3:15) is very different from Sono le tre meno un quarto (2:45).
• Distinguish between teens and tens: A classic examiner trick is to test your ability to distinguish between numbers like tredici (13) and trenta (30), or quattordici (14) and quaranta (40). Focus on the ending of the word.

Common Listening Traps

• Mille vs. Milione: Hearing mille and writing down 1,000,000. Mille is 1,000. Un milione is 1,000,000.
• Mezzogiorno vs. Mezzanotte: Confusing midday (12:00 PM) with midnight (12:00 AM).
• Prices with cents: In Italian, prices are often said with e between the euros and cents. Due euro e cinquanta means €2.50.

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🗣️ Speaking Skills

Role Play Scenarios

Scenario 1: Buying a train ticket
Examiner: A che ora parte il treno per Roma?
Candidate: Il treno parte alle otto e mezza. (The train leaves at half past eight.)
Examiner: Quanto costa il biglietto?
Candidate: Costa venticinque euro. (It costs twenty-five euros.)

Scenario 2: Making a reservation
Examiner: Per quale giorno è la prenotazione?
Candidate: Per il quindici luglio. (For the fifteenth of July.)
Examiner: A che ora arrivate?
Candidate: Arriviamo alle diciannove. (We arrive at 19:00 / 7:00 PM.)

Photo Card Practice

Model Photo Card Response (A photo showing people at a birthday party):

• Qu 1 (Description): Nella foto ci sono molte persone a una festa. C'è una torta con sedici candeline. (In the photo there are many people at a party. There is a cake with sixteen candles.)
• Qu 2 (Opinion): Secondo me, le feste di compleanno sono molto divertenti perché puoi vedere i tuoi amici. (In my opinion, birthday parties are very fun because you can see your friends.)
• Qu 3 (Related topic): Il mio compleanno è il due maggio. Di solito, vado al ristorante con la mia famiglia. (My birthday is the second of May. Usually, I go to a restaurant with my family.)
• Qu 4 (Past/Future): L'anno scorso, per il mio quindicesimo compleanno, ho fatto una grande festa a casa mia. (Last year, for my fifteenth birthday, I had a big party at my house.)
• Qu 5 (Unpredictable): Penso che il regalo ideale per un adolescente sia il denaro, forse cinquanta euro, per comprare vestiti. (I think the ideal gift for a teenager is money, maybe fifty euros, to buy clothes.)

General Conversation Questions

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✍️ Writing Skills

Translation Practice

English → Italian:

Extended Writing

**Model 90-word response (Foundation):**La mia giornata tipica è molto occupata. Mi alzo alle sette e faccio colazione. Vado a scuola alle otto meno un quarto. La scuola inizia alle otto e mezza e finisce alle tre. Mi piace la scuola perché vedo i miei amici. Dopo la scuola, faccio i compiti. Ceno con la mia famiglia alle diciannove. Il mio giorno preferito è il sabato perché non vado a scuola. Sabato scorso, sono andato al cinema con i miei amici. Il biglietto è costato dieci euro. È stato molto divertente!

**Model 150-word response (Higher):**La mia routine quotidiana è abbastanza faticosa. Durante la settimana, mi devo alzare alle sei e mezza, il che è troppo presto per me! Faccio una colazione veloce e prendo l'autobus alle sette e un quarto. Le lezioni iniziano puntualmente alle otto.

Secondo me, la giornata scolastica è troppo lunga. Finiamo alle quindici, ma poi devo fare i compiti per due ore. La sera, ceno con la mia famiglia verso le venti.

Il mio momento preferito dell'anno è l'estate. Il mio compleanno è il quindici agosto, quindi festeggio sempre durante le vacanze. L'anno scorso, per il mio sedicesimo compleanno, i miei genitori mi hanno regalato cento euro. Ho comprato dei vestiti nuovi. Il prossimo anno, spero di fare una grande festa con almeno cinquanta invitati. Sarà fantastico!

Writing Checklist

• ✅ Have I used È l'una for 1:00 and Sono le for other times?
• ✅ Did I use primo for the 1st of the month, and cardinal numbers for the rest?
• ✅ Have I made my ordinal numbers agree with the noun (e.g., la prima volta)?
• ✅ Did I write months and days of the week with lowercase letters?
• ✅ Have I checked the spelling of tricky numbers like diciassette and diciannove?

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📚 Reading Skills

Key Strategies

• Scan for digits and time expressions: In reading comprehension texts, scan the text quickly to locate numbers, times, and dates before reading in detail. This helps you quickly locate the answers to specific questions.
• Understand the 24-hour clock: Italian texts (like schedules, timetables, and formal invitations) frequently use the 24-hour clock. Make sure you can quickly convert le sedici to 4:00 PM and le venti to 8:00 PM.

False Friends & Tricky Words

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🌍 Cultural Knowledge

Understanding how time and numbers are used in Italy adds authenticity to your work. In Italy, the 24-hour clock (l'orologio a 24 ore) is widely used for all official purposes—train timetables, cinema listings, TV schedules, and business hours. However, in casual conversation, Italians often use the 12-hour clock, adding di mattina (in the morning), del pomeriggio (in the afternoon), di sera (in the evening), or di notte (at night) for clarity.

Dates are written in the format Day/Month/Year (e.g., 24/05/2024), never Month/Day/Year. Also, remember that the first floor of a building in Italy (il primo piano) is the floor above the ground floor (il pianterreno), just like in the UK, but unlike in the US.