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Ho dormito fino a mezzogiorno.

Ho dormito fino a mezzogiorno.
I slept until noon.
From Lesson 100:Prepositions of time (da, per, tra, fra)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ho dormito fino a mezzogiorno.

Since this lesson is about time prepositions, why do we use fino a here instead of per?
We use per when talking about the total duration of an action (like per due ore, meaning 'for two hours'). Here, we are talking about the exact point in time when the sleeping ended. To say 'until' a specific time, you must use fino a.
Does fino always have to be followed by a?
Yes! When it means 'until' a time or 'as far as' a place, fino always partners with a. If the following word requires a 'the', they will combine (for example, fino al mattino means 'until the morning'). Since mezzogiorno doesn't use 'the', it stays simply fino a.
Why is the helping verb ho (avere) used with dormito instead of sono (essere)?
You might remember that verbs with no direct object (like verbs of movement or state of being) often use essere in the past tense. However, dormire (to sleep) is a common exception to that pattern. It always takes avere in the passato prossimo.
Can I write noon as two separate words (mezzo giorno)?
No, when you mean 'noon' (12:00 PM), it is always the single word mezzogiorno. If you write it as two words (mezzo giorno), it actually means 'half a day' (a duration of time)!

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