Breakdown of Il treno arriva a mezzogiorno.
il treno
the train
arrivare
to arrive
a
to / at
il mezzogiorno
noon
Questions & Answers about Il treno arriva a mezzogiorno.
Why is it a mezzogiorno instead of alle mezzogiorno?
When talking about time, we usually use alle (which means "at the") because the hours are plural, like alle due (at two). However, mezzogiorno (noon) and mezzanotte (midnight) are singular words. Therefore, they just use the simple preposition a (at).
Could I say alle dodici (at twelve) instead of a mezzogiorno?
What exactly does mezzogiorno mean?
It literally translates to "mid-day." It is made up of mezzo (half or mid) and giorno (day). The word for midnight, mezzanotte, works exactly the same way!
Can arriva also mean "is arriving"?
Yes! The Italian present tense covers both simple and continuous actions in English. So, Il treno arriva can mean "The train arrives" (a daily schedule) or "The train is arriving" (it is pulling into the station right now).