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Pranzo a mezzogiorno.

Pranzo a mezzogiorno.
I have lunch at noon.
From Lesson 66:Meals and eating (fare colazione, pranzare)·Italian

Breakdown of Pranzo a mezzogiorno.

a
to / at
il mezzogiorno
noon
pranzare
to have lunch

Questions & Answers about Pranzo a mezzogiorno.

Why isn't there a word for "have" here, like "ho pranzo"?
In English, we use a verb and a noun together ("have lunch" or "eat lunch"). But Italian has a specific verb just for this action: pranzare. Pranzo is the "I" form of this verb, so it means "I have lunch" all by itself. (Pranzo can also be the noun for "lunch", but here it is being used as a verb!)
Where is the word for "I" in this sentence?
In Italian, you usually drop subject words like io (I) because the verb's ending already gives it away. The -o ending on pranzo makes it completely clear that "I" am the one doing the action.
Why do we use the preposition a here?
The preposition a is used when talking about specific times of day, very similar to "at" in English. So, a mezzogiorno translates perfectly to "at noon".
Is mezzogiorno made up of two different words?
Exactly! It combines mezzo (half or middle) and giorno (day). So it literally means "mid-day", which is how Italians say noon.

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