"Questo treno parte alle nove in punto."
Translation:This train leaves at nine sharp.
64 CommentsThis discussion is locked.
I had "precisly" for "in punto," which I think conveys the precise meaning. The problem with some words is that there are too many ways that they can be translated, and this is one - on the dot, exactly, preciesly, puntually, .....
As a native speaker of American English, that sentence doesn't sound right to me. Prompt is an adjective: it can modify a noun like "a prompt reply." You could use the adverb form and say, "This train leaves promptly at nine."
Yeah, I am trying not to rely on hints anymore and simply look up the words. 'in punto' is one of the many phrases listed for the use of the word punto:
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What does the 'in punto' mean? I guessed that this sentence means'This train leaves at nine on the dot', but I got it wrong. Does 'in punto' just mean ' o'clock'? I thought 'alle nove' already meant 'at nine o'clock'. I can't find anything helpful in the dictionary hints or on the translation site I use.
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I would think that that would mean that "The train leaves at nine on the dot" would be a perfectly acceptable translation. Thanks. :)
I looked up 'in punto' just to be sure (since the dictionary hints are a bit mad - I'll report it), and it does of course give 'on the dot' as well as 'sharp'. ;)
I've not heard the English phrased like that before. I think it's idiomatic to Italian.
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No, it's a very common phrase, at least in North American English. If you continue to read down this thread, you'll find multiple people mentioning it. :)
Colloquial English: "at nine on the dot" - think this should be a permitted answer
it did NOT accept 'on the dot' for me which would be the phrase i use ANDthe literal meaning as well!
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The first recording just says: "Questo treno parte alle nove". Only the slow one pronounces the whole sentence.
I presume that a lot of DL users have also tried Memrize. They translate "in punto" as "o'clock" (Italian course 2 level 19). I have completed and enjoyed all seven of their Italian courses. For those of you who complain about DL's lack of flexibility, you should try Memrize for a while. They only accept one and only one "correct" answer.
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Why is " on the dot" not accepted here, but it is in the following sentence: " Sono le diece in punto"? "In punto" translated to "on the dot" in one and "sharp" in another! I might just report this to DL.
why is this wrong? "this trains leave at nine on the dot" DL's hint states either but I'm marked wrong.
Much more correct (i.e. less idiomatic ) English and probably the most acceptable offering to the purists
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Why is this not accepted: "This train leaves punctually at nine o'clock". Duolingo, please clarify what the difference is between "punctually at nine" and "nine sharp"?
