Giovanni compra un ombrello al mercato.

Giovanni buys an umbrella at the market.

Breakdown of Giovanni compra un ombrello al mercato.

• comprare: to buy
• il mercato: the market
• al: at
• Giovanni: Giovanni

Questions & Answers about Giovanni compra un ombrello al mercato.

What is the infinitive form of compra, and what does the ending -a indicate?

The verb comprare means “to buy.” Here compra is the present indicative, third person singular form. The -a ending tells you the subject is he/she/it (in this case Giovanni) and that the action occurs in the present tense.

Why do we say un ombrello instead of uno ombrello or una ombrello?

Un is the masculine singular indefinite article used before vowels and most consonants.

• Uno is used only before masculine nouns beginning with s+consonant, z, gn, ps, x or y.
• Una is the feminine singular indefinite article (it becomes un' before vowels).
  Since ombrello is masculine and begins with a vowel, you use un with no apostrophe.

How can I tell that ombrello and mercato are masculine nouns?

A common rule is that Italian nouns ending in -o are masculine, and those ending in -a are feminine. While there are exceptions, ombrello (“umbrella”) and mercato (“market”) both follow this standard pattern.

What does al mercato mean, and why do we use al?