Breakdown of Giovanni compra un ombrello al mercato.
comprare
to buy
il mercato
the market
al
at
Giovanni
Giovanni
l’ombrello
the umbrella
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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?
Al is a contraction of the preposition a (“to/at”) + the definite article il (“the”).
- A expresses direction or location at certain places.
- Il is the masculine singular definite article.
So al mercato literally means “at the market.”
Could we say nel mercato instead of al mercato?
Nel is in + il, meaning “in the.” It emphasizes being inside the market building. Italians normally say al mercato for “at the market” in a general sense, not nel mercato.
Why is there no pronoun like lui before compra?
Italian often omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already shows person and number. Since Giovanni (the subject) is explicitly stated, adding lui (“he”) would be redundant unless you want extra emphasis.
Where is the stress in Giovanni, compra, ombrello, and mercato, and how are they pronounced?
- Giovanni: /dʒoˈvanni/ (stress on van)
- compra: /ˈkompra/ (stress on com)
- ombrello: /omˈbrɛllo/ (stress on bre)
- mercato: /merˈkaːto/ (stress on ca)
Italian vowels are pure and consonants are pronounced clearly; the r is rolled or tapped.
How would you say “Giovanni buys some umbrellas at the market”?
Italian has no plural indefinite article, so you use a partitive or drop the article:
- Giovanni compra degli ombrelli al mercato (“buys some umbrellas”)
- Giovanni compra ombrelli al mercato (more casual, literally “buys umbrellas”)
Alternatively, you can say alcuni ombrelli instead of degli ombrelli.
Can I move al mercato to the beginning of the sentence for emphasis?
Yes. Al mercato Giovanni compra un ombrello is grammatically correct and shifts emphasis onto the market. The original Giovanni compra un ombrello al mercato is the neutral, most common word order.