From asking how long a journey takes to setting a meeting time, “minute” is a useful everyday word. Italian has a clear noun for it, plus common phrases for duration, schedules, and asking someone to wait.
Quick answer:
“Minute” in Italian is minuto (mee-NOO-toh). The plural “minutes” is minuti.
How to Say Minute in Italian
The Italian word for “minute” is minuto. It is a masculine noun: un minuto means “a minute,” and il minuto means “the minute.” The plural is minuti, so cinque minuti means “five minutes.”
To talk about a short period, Italian uses un minuto much like English uses “a minute.” For the larger time unit, compare ore, “hours”. If you need someone to wait, you can say Un minuto, per favore (“One minute, please”) or Dammi un minuto (“Give me a minute,” informal).
Useful Expressions with Minuto
- un minuto — one minute / a minute
- due minuti — two minutes
- un minuto fa — a minute ago
- tra un minuto — in a minute
- per un minuto — for one minute
- ogni minuto — every minute
- minuto per minuto — minute by minute
Notice the prepositions: tra un minuto means “in a minute” from now, while un minuto fa means “a minute ago.” For a duration, use per, as in Aspetta per un minuto (“Wait for one minute”). In casual speech, tra poco means “soon” or “in a little while.”
Asking About Time
To ask how long an activity lasts, say Quanto dura? (“How long does it last?”). You can answer Dura dieci minuti (“It lasts ten minutes”). If someone says they will arrive in a minute, Arrivo tra un minuto means “I’ll be there in a minute.”
To ask someone to wait politely, say Può aspettare un minuto, per favore? (“Could you wait a minute, please?”). With friends, Aspetta un minuto! is an informal “Wait a minute!” Italian distinguishes formal può from informal puoi, so use Puoi aspettare…? with someone you address casually.
Example Sentences
- La stazione è a cinque minuti da qui. — The station is five minutes from here.
- Aspettami un minuto. — Wait for me a minute.
- Il film inizia tra dieci minuti. — The movie starts in ten minutes.
- Ho parlato con lei per qualche minuto. — I spoke with her for a few minutes.
- È arrivato un minuto fa. — He arrived a minute ago.
- Il treno parte tra tre minuti. — The train leaves in three minutes.
- Puoi ripetere, per favore? Un momento. — Can you repeat, please? One moment.
In informal conversation, un attimo (“a moment”) is also common when asking someone to wait briefly. It does not literally mean one minute, but it often serves the same practical purpose.
Pronunciation of Minuto
Minuto has three syllables: mee-NOO-toh, with stress on the middle syllable, nu. Pronounce each vowel clearly. In the plural minuti, the final i is pronounced, and the stress stays on the middle syllable: mee-NOO-tee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Tap a question below to see the answer.
What is the Italian word for minute?
It is minuto. The plural “minutes” is minuti.
How do you say “in a minute” in Italian?
Say tra un minuto. It means something will happen one minute from now.
How do you say “a minute ago”?
Use un minuto fa. For example, È arrivato un minuto fa means “He arrived a minute ago.”
How do you ask someone to wait one minute?
Informally, say Aspetta un minuto. Politely, say Può aspettare un minuto, per favore?
What is the difference between minuto and attimo?
Minuto means a minute as a unit of time. Attimo means a brief moment and is often used casually to ask someone to wait.
Summary
The Italian noun for “minute” is minuto, and “minutes” is minuti. Use tra un minuto for “in a minute,” un minuto fa for “a minute ago,” and per un minuto for “for one minute.” When asking someone to wait, choose a polite or informal form to suit the situation.
