Stamattina, io compro la giacca al mercato.

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Breakdown of Stamattina, io compro la giacca al mercato.

• comprare: to buy
• la giacca: the jacket
• il mercato: the market
• a: at
• stamattina: this morning

Questions & Answers about Stamattina, io compro la giacca al mercato.

What does stamattina mean?

Stamattina translates as “this morning”. It tells you when the action occurs, indicating the morning of the current day.

Why is the subject pronoun io included if the verb conjugation already implies “I”?

Italian is a pro-drop language, which means the subject pronoun is often omitted because the verb ending already indicates the subject. Io is included here for clarity or emphasis, possibly to stress who is performing the action.

What does compro mean and in which tense is it used?

Compro means “I buy” or “I am buying”. It is in the present indicative tense, which in Italian can describe an action that is currently taking place, a habitual action, or sometimes even a near-future event.

How is la giacca structured in Italian, and what does it mean?

La giacca means “the jacket”. La is the definite article used for feminine singular nouns, and giacca is a feminine noun meaning “jacket” or “coat.” This structure designates a specific jacket that is being purchased.

Why is the phrase al mercato used instead of writing the preposition and article separately?

Al is a contraction of the preposition a (meaning “at” or “to”) and the masculine singular article il (meaning “the”). Therefore, al mercato means “at the market.” This contraction is a common feature in Italian to make speech and writing more fluid.