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A mezzanotte festeggiamo: cin cin!

A mezzanotte festeggiamo: cin cin!
At midnight we celebrate: cheers!
From Lesson 55:Auguri! Wishes and celebrations·Italian

Questions & Answers about A mezzanotte festeggiamo: cin cin!

Why is it a mezzanotte and not alla mezzanotte?
In Italian, you use the simple preposition a (at) with mezzanotte (midnight) and mezzogiorno (noon). You do not need to combine it with 'the' to make alla for these two specific times, even though you do for other hours like all'una (at one o'clock).
Where is the word for 'we' in this sentence?
It is built right into the verb! The ending -iamo in festeggiamo tells us that the subject is 'we' (noi). In Italian, you usually drop the subject pronoun because the verb ending already makes it clear who is doing the action.
How do I pronounce the ggi part of festeggiamo?
Because the double gg is followed by an i, it makes a soft 'j' sound, exactly like the 'j' in the English word 'jump'. The double letter just means you hold the sound a tiny bit longer before moving to the next vowel.
Is cin cin the normal way to say 'cheers' in Italian?
Yes! Cin cin is the most popular, informal way to say 'cheers' when clinking glasses in Italy. While its origins are actually Chinese (brought over by sailors and merchants long ago), it sounds just like glasses clinking together and is used at almost every Italian party.

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