Learn Italian: Lavoro fino a mezzanotte.

Lavoro fino a mezzanotte.

I work until midnight.

Breakdown of Lavoro fino a mezzanotte.

until, up to (fino a)

Questions & Answers about Lavoro fino a mezzanotte.

Since we are learning about da and per, why is fino a used in this sentence?

Fino a specifically marks the end point of an action ("until"). You would use per for the total length of time ("for eight hours") and da for the starting point or an ongoing duration ("since 8:00 AM").

Does fino always need to be followed by a?

When meaning "until" a certain time or "as far as" a certain place, yes. Fino a works as a fixed phrase in Italian. You cannot drop the a to just say fino mezzanotte.

Why is it fino a mezzanotte and not fino alla mezzanotte?

Normally, you combine a with the definite article when telling time (like fino alle tre for "until 3:00"). However, mezzanotte (midnight) and mezzogiorno (noon) are exceptions. They just take the simple preposition a without any article.

Is mezzanotte a compound word?

Yes! It literally means "half night." It is made by combining the words mezza (half) and notte (night).