Breakdown of Più tardi compreremo due coni di gelato al pistacchio dal nostro gelataio preferito.
di
of
al
to the
comprare
to buy
più tardi
later
nostro
our
due
two
il gelato
the ice-cream
il cono
the cone
il pistacchio
the pistachio
il gelataio
the ice-cream seller
dal
from the
preferito
favourite
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Questions & Answers about Più tardi compreremo due coni di gelato al pistacchio dal nostro gelataio preferito.
Why does the sentence start with Più tardi and what does it mean?
Più tardi literally means “later” or “later on.” In Italian it’s an adverbial time expression, and you can position these expressions at the beginning of the sentence to set the time frame for the action.
How is the future tense compreremo formed from comprare?
For first-conjugation verbs (–are), you drop the final –e of the infinitive and add the future endings –ò, –ai, –à, –emo, –ete, –anno. Here:
• Infinitive: comprare
• Stem: compr– (drop the –e)
• Add –eremo → compr + eremo = compreremo (“we will buy”).
Why is it due coni di gelato instead of simply due gelati?
• Due coni di gelato = “two cones of ice cream,” which specifies the format/container (cones).
• Due gelati would be “two ice creams” without indicating cones or cups. Both are correct, but if you want cones you say coni di gelato.
Why do we use di in due coni di gelato but al in al pistacchio?
• Di expresses “of” or partitive: coni di gelato = “cones of ice cream.”
• Al is a + il and indicates flavor/type: gelato al pistacchio = “pistachio-flavored ice cream.”
What does dal in dal nostro gelataio preferito stand for?
Dal is the contraction of da + il, meaning “from the.” Here da shows the source/vendor (“from our …”), and il is the masculine article for gelataio.
Why is preferito placed after gelataio?
In Italian most descriptive adjectives follow the noun. So gelataio preferito literally is “ice-cream maker favorite.” Placing preferito before would be unusual here.
How do possessive adjectives like nostro agree in Italian?
Possessives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, not the owner. Here gelataio is masculine singular, so we use nostro. If it were a female vendor you’d say la nostra gelataia.
Why isn’t there a subject pronoun like noi before compreremo?
Italian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending –emo already tells you the subject is we. Adding noi is optional and only needed for emphasis.
I’ve heard both gelataio and gelatiere for “ice-cream maker.” Which is correct?
Both exist. Gelataio is very common in everyday speech; gelatiere is the more formal dictionary term. They both mean “ice-cream vendor/maker.”
Could we use prendere instead of comprare for ice cream?
Yes. Italians often say prendere un gelato (“to get/take an ice cream”) in casual contexts. In the future you’d say prenderemo due coni di gelato just as well.