Italian Phrase
Sono le cinque e un quarto.
Meaning
It’s five fifteen – a quarter past five o’clock. In Italian the expression *un quarto* is the standard way to say “a quarter (of an hour)”.
When to use
Use this sentence whenever you need to tell someone the exact time in everyday conversation, on the phone, or when checking a schedule. It works in both informal and semi‑formal contexts.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Sonolecinqueeunquarto
Sono (essere)
Third‑person singular present of the verb *essere* used to state the time.
le (definite article)
Feminine plural article that agrees with the implied noun *ore* (hours).
cinque (cardinal number)
The number five; when telling time it refers to the hour.
e (conjunction)
Connects the hour with the minutes, equivalent to “and”.
un (indefinite article)
Masculine singular article used because *quarto* (quarter) is masculine.
quarto (ordinal)
Literally “fourth”, but in time‑telling it means a quarter of an hour (15 minutes).
🗨In Conversation
Che ore sono?
What time is it?
Sono le cinque e un quarto.
It’s a quarter past five.
✕Common Mistakes
Sono le cinque e una quarto.
The article must be *un* because *quarto* is masculine.
Sono le cinque e un quarto di.
Adding *di* after *quarto* is unnecessary in everyday speech; *un quarto* already means a quarter of an hour.
Sono cinque e un quarto.
Never drop the article *le*; the phrase needs the implied *ore*.
↔Alternatives
Sono le cinque e quindici minuti.
It is five fifteen minutes.
Sono le cinque e un quarto d'ora.
It is a quarter of an hour past five.
Sono le cinque e un quarto di ora.
It is a quarter past five.
Cultural Tip
In Italy people usually speak of time using the 12‑hour clock in casual conversation, but the 24‑hour format is common on timetables, train stations and official documents. The word *ore* (hours) is always feminine, so the article *le* is used even for numbers that are masculine in other contexts. Also, Italians love to break the hour into quarters: *un quarto* (15 min), *mezzo* (30 min), *tre quarti* (45 min).