Italian Phrase
Hai impostato la sveglia?
Meaning
Literally, ‘Did you set the alarm?’. It is used to check whether someone has already programmed an alarm clock, usually before going to sleep or before a scheduled event.
When to use
Use this question in the evening when you want to confirm that a partner, roommate, or child has set the alarm for the next morning, or when you’re coordinating a shared schedule.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Haiimpostatolasveglia
Auxiliary ‘avere’ (hai)
‘Hai’ is the second‑person singular present of ‘avere’, used as the auxiliary for most transitive verbs in the passato prossimo.
Past participle (impostato)
‘Impostato’ is the past participle of ‘impostare’; it agrees with the direct object only when the auxiliary is ‘essere’, so it stays masculine singular here.
Definite article + noun (la sveglia)
‘La sveglia’ means ‘the alarm clock’; the article agrees in gender (feminine) and number with the noun.
Question intonation
Raising intonation at the end of the sentence signals a yes/no question in spoken Italian.
🗨In Conversation
Hai impostato la sveglia?
Did you set the alarm?
Sì, l’ho impostata per le sette.
Yes, I set it for seven o’clock.
✕Common Mistakes
Sei impostato la sveglia?
‘Essere’ is not the correct auxiliary for ‘impostare’; use ‘hai’ (avere).
Hai impostare la sveglia?
The verb must be in its past participle form, not the infinitive.
Hai impostato il sveglio?
The noun ‘sveglia’ is feminine; the article and noun must match.
↔Alternatives
Hai messo la sveglia?
Did you put the alarm (on)?
Hai programmato la sveglia?
Did you program the alarm?
Hai attivato la sveglia?
Did you activate the alarm?
Cultural Tip
In Italy many people still use a bedside alarm clock, but smartphones have largely taken over. Asking about the alarm is a common way to show care for someone’s punctuality, especially before a workday or a school morning. Remember that the tone can be friendly or slightly admonishing depending on the relationship.