Say you are meeting your Italian relatives after a long time. What’s the first thing you are likely to do? Most probably, comment on just how much time has flown since the last time you saw each other. Or maybe you were watching your little nephew, who went from toddler to teenager in what feels like a handful of months. Again, your thoughts are on time and how fast it seems to go.
For moments like these, Italian has lots of expressions. Below you’ll find eight of the most common ones that you can start using right away.
1. Quanto tempo!
It’s been so long! (lit. “How much time!”)
This is the classic thing we say when greeting someone we haven’t seen in a while. There’s also the variant Da quanto tempo! (lit. “Since how much time!”), where the preposition da (since) just highlights the idea of how much time has passed.
Watch the intonation: it’s an exclamation, not a question. Nobody wants you to actually do the math and give the exact number of months or years it has been. In fact, if someone says Quanto tempo! or Da quanto tempo! to you, a natural response is an enthusiastic Davvero! (I know, right!).
2. Il tempo vola
Time flies
This is easy, it’s the exact same expression you already use in English (we just add the article il — the). Il tempo vola is a great phrase to use when reflecting on how quickly time passes or where the year went, usually accompanied by a heavy sigh. An example? The holidays are over, but it feels like we set our out of office reply literally five minutes ago.
Il tempo vola, è già ora di ripartire.
Time flies, it’s already time to leave again.
3. Come passa il tempo!
How time flies! (lit. “How time passes!”)
Very similar to Il tempo vola, Come passa il tempo has a nostalgic, warm feeling to it, rather than just pointing out that time is moving fast. It’s the kind of thing we might say while flipping through old photos (you know, those where we were rocking some seriously questionable haircut…) and inevitably, someone in the room will chime in with Eeeh, ti ricordi quando…? (Aaah, remember when…?), and there goes the next half hour lost to a group trip down memory lane.
Devi fare 18 anni? Mamma mia, come passa il tempo!
You’re turning 18 already? Wow, time really flies!
Fun fact: In case you are wondering, yes, when we talk about birthdays and ages, we often use the verb fare (to do, to make). For example, fare 18 anni (to turn 18), fare gli anni a maggio (to have our birthday in May), etc. Of course, there is a more precise verb (compiere, meaning “to turn” a certain age), but fare is one of those super useful Italian verbs that, once memorised, lets you say lots of things!
4. Sembra ieri…
It seems like yesterday…
Sembra ieri is another Italian expression about the passage of time with a rather nostalgic vibe, generally introducing a specific memory that feels much more recent than it really is.
Sembra ieri che saltavamo la scuola e venivamo qui al mare.
It seems like yesterday we were skipping school and coming here to the beach.
It’s a favourite expression of parents, especially when they get all nostalgic with their friends and say things like:
Sembra ieri che gli cambiavamo il pannolino!
It seems like yesterday we were changing his diaper!
(And there we are, fully grown adults, silently praying that they stop there!)
5. Gli anni passano
The years go by
You’ll hear this expression a lot from older generations, usually accompanied by a little shrug and some observation about how someone or something just isn’t what it used to be. There doesn’t have to be a specific memory attached, it’s more like a resigned acceptance that this is how it goes.
Gli anni passano caro mio, i figli crescono e noi ci facciamo vecchi.
The years go by, my friend, the kids grow up, and we get old.
(Did you spot it? Fare once again: farsi vecchio is a colloquial way of saying “to get old” instead of the standard verb invecchiare).
6. Erano altri tempi
Those were different times (lit. “They were other times”)
As a millennial who knows what life was like without iPhones and social media, I often find myself using this phrase when I explain some “ancient” custom to someone younger (and watch their face turn into a mix of horror and fascination in the process), like:
Quando andavo a scuola io eravamo più creativi: facevamo gli squilli per dire “Ti penso”, altro che videochiamate e tag sui social. Eeeh, erano altri tempi!
When I was in school, we were way more creative: we’d give each other “squilli” (one ring and hung up) to say, “I’m thinking of you,” forget video calls and tagging each other on social media. Ahhh, those were different times!
7. Tempi che furono!
The good old days! (lit. “Times that were!”)
That furono is the passato remoto of the verb essere (to be), a tense that sounds rather literary in everyday Italian, and gives this expression a slightly old-fashioned, almost theatrical feel. We usually say Tempi che furono! when looking back at how things used to be, with fondness and sometimes a hint of humour.
Una volta aspettavamo con gioia il postino, sperando in una lettera di un amico o di un familiare. Tempi che furono! Adesso porta solo bollette.
Back then, we’d look forward to the mailman coming, hoping he’d bring a letter from a friend or family member. The good old days! Now all he brings are bills.
8. Si stava meglio quando si stava peggio
Things were better when they were worse
The idea behind this Italian saying is that life may have been harder in the past, but somehow people were happier. We typically use it when complaining about modern life, wondering whether all these new conveniences have really made things better or just more stressful. Perhaps a bit exaggerated, sure, but there is some truth in there.
Una volta non c’erano tutti questi telefoni e social, e passavamo più tempo insieme. È proprio vero che si stava meglio quando si stava peggio.
Back then, we didn’t have all these phones and social media, and we spent more time together. It really is true that things were better when they were worse.
Valentina Nicastro is a travel writer in love with her home country, Italy. Having travelled widely around the globe, she realised there was more to explore closer to home and decided to put the passport aside for a while. When she is not immersed in documenting Italy, you’ll find her donning her communication consultant hat, weaving words as a content writer and bridging linguistic divides as a translator.
