Passo dall’edicola per comprare una rivista.

I stop by the newsstand to buy a magazine.

Breakdown of Passo dall’edicola per comprare una rivista.

• io: I
• comprare: to buy
• per: to
• la rivista: the magazine
• passare da: to stop by
• l'edicola: the newsstand

Questions & Answers about Passo dall’edicola per comprare una rivista.

What exactly does passo mean here?

It’s the 1st person singular present of passare. With da plus a place, passare da means “to stop by / swing by.” So Passo dall’edicola = “I stop by the newsstand” (or “I’ll pop by the newsstand”). It’s not “I take a step” (that’s the noun il passo), and not the past tense passò (remote past).

Why is it dall’edicola with da, not all’edicola or in edicola?

Because passare da + [shop/person] is the idiomatic way to say “stop by someone’s place/a shop.” Examples: passo dal panettiere, dal dentista, da Marco. It highlights a brief visit. You’ll also hear in edicola or all’edicola with other verbs (e.g., vado in edicola), but with passare the go-to is da.

What does the apostrophe in dall’edicola show?

It’s the contraction of the preposition + article: da + l’ (la) → dall’ before a vowel. Other forms you’ll meet: dal, dallo, dalla, dai, dagli, dalle.

Can I say Passo per l’edicola?

Not for “stop by.” Passare per means “to go through/via” a place (a route), not to make a brief visit. Use Passo dall’edicola to mean “I’ll stop by the newsstand.”

Why is it per comprare and not a comprare?

• per + infinitive expresses purpose: “in order to.” Hence, …per comprare una rivista = “to buy a magazine.”
• After motion verbs, a + infinitive can also express purpose, but the structure changes:
  
  • With a place: Passo dall’edicola per comprare una rivista (most natural).
  • Without naming the place: Passo a comprare una rivista is fine.
  • If you use in instead of da, you may hear: Passo in edicola a comprare una rivista (common in speech).

Can I just say Passo dall’edicola and drop the purpose?

Yes. It simply means “I’ll stop by the newsstand,” with the reason understood. If you still want to mention the item in a casual way, Passo dall’edicola a prendere una rivista is also idiomatic.

Why una rivista and not un rivista or la rivista?

• rivista is feminine, so the correct indefinite article is una.
• Use la rivista only if you mean a specific magazine the listener already knows about.

What’s the difference between rivista and giornale?

• rivista = magazine.
• giornale = newspaper.
  So you’d buy una rivista (a magazine) vs un giornale (a newspaper).

Could I use prendere or acquistare instead of comprare?

• comprare = to buy (neutral and common).
• prendere = literally “to take,” but very common colloquially for “buy/get”: prendere una rivista.
• acquistare = to purchase (more formal/elevated).

Does the present passo also mean a near-future action?

Yes. Italian often uses the present for scheduled/near-future actions, especially with a time adverb: Stasera passo dall’edicola. If you want to be explicit, use the future: Passerò dall’edicola.

How do I replace dall’edicola with a pronoun?

Use ci for places:

• If the newsstand was mentioned earlier: Ci passo per comprare una rivista (“I’ll stop there to buy a magazine”).
  Don’t use ne here; ne replaces “of it/them,” not places.

Is in/all’edicola okay with passare?

You’ll hear them, but passare da is the most idiomatic for “stop by”: Passo dall’edicola. With other verbs, in is common: Vado in edicola. All’edicola is also possible (especially with fermarsi: Mi fermo all’edicola).

Can I change the word order, like Per comprare una rivista, passo dall’edicola?

Yes, that’s fine. It front-loads the purpose. Passo per comprare una rivista dall’edicola is grammatical but sounds a bit clunky; the original order is the most natural.