Learn Hardcore Italian: La cartoleria vicino all’edicola vende anche penne e colla. - The stationery shop near the newsstand also sells pens and glue.

Because it’s the contraction of the preposition plus a vowel-elided article: a + l’edicola → all’edicola. Since edicola starts with a vowel, the feminine article la becomes l’, and a + l’ becomes all’.

Examples: all’uscita (a + l’uscita), alla cassa (a + la cassa, because cassa starts with a consonant).
Don’t write a l’edicola with a space.

Shouldn’t vicino agree with cartoleria (i.e., vicina)?

Both are heard:

La cartoleria vicina all’edicola (adjective; vicina agrees with the feminine noun cartoleria) — this is the more careful/standard written form.
La cartoleria vicino all’edicola (vicino used adverbially/prepositionally) — common in speech and informal writing. If you’re writing formally, prefer vicina when it directly modifies the noun.

Which preposition goes with vicino?

Vicino takes a: vicino a qualcosa/qualcuno.

La cartoleria è vicino all’edicola.
Il bar è vicino al museo. Don’t use di (except in the fixed expression il vicino di casa = the neighbor).

What does anche modify here, and can I move it?

In La cartoleria … vende anche penne e colla, anche modifies the verb phrase “sells pens and glue” = it also sells these, in addition to other items. Moving anche changes the focus:

Anche la cartoleria vicino all’edicola vende penne e colla = this shop also sells them (others do too).
La cartoleria … vende penne e anche colla = it sells pens, and glue as well (glue is the “added” item).

Why are there no articles before penne and colla?

When listing what a shop sells in general, Italian often omits partitives/indefinites: Vende pane, vino e formaggi. Similarly, Vende penne e colla means “it sells pens and glue (as product categories).”

With partitives (more about quantity): Ho comprato delle penne e della colla.
With definites (specific items): Vende le penne e la colla che gli forniamo.

Could penne here mean the pasta?

Context tells you it’s “pens” (plural of penna = pen). Penne also names a pasta shape, but in a sentence about a stationery store (cartoleria) it can only be writing pens. To be extra clear you can say penne a sfera (ballpoint pens), penne stilografiche (fountain pens), etc.

Is colla countable or a mass noun in Italian?

Mostly a mass noun: della colla, un po’ di colla, un tubetto di colla. The plural le colle exists but refers to types of glue (e.g., colle viniliche, colle a caldo). Note: colla is not the contraction of con la here; that old-fashioned usage exists in literature but isn’t used in modern standard Italian.

Why is the verb vende (singular) and not vendono?

Because the subject is singular: La cartoleria … vende. If the subject were plural (Le cartolerie …), you’d use vendono.

What exactly is a cartoleria, and how is it different from a cartolibreria?

Cartoleria: a stationery store (not “stationary”).
Cartolibreria: a combined stationery-and-book store.
Libreria: a bookshop only. All are common in Italy; which one you see depends on what the shop sells.

How do you pronounce the key words?

Approximate English-friendly hints (stress in caps):

cartoleria: car-to-le-REE-a
edicola: eh-DEE-co-la
vicino: vee-CHEE-no (ci = “chee”)
vende: VEN-deh
penne: PEN-neh (double n is held slightly longer)
colla: KOL-lah (double l is held slightly longer)
all’edicola: al-leh-DEE-co-la

When do I use e vs ed for “and”?

Ed is an optional euphonic variant of e used before vowels for smoother sound:

penne ed evidenziatori
colla ed adesivi Before consonants, use e: penne e colla. Using ed is never mandatory; it’s a stylistic choice.

How do I say “at the stationery store” vs “at the newsstand”?

in cartoleria = at the stationery store (idiomatic for being/going there: Vado in cartoleria).
all’edicola = at/to the newsstand (Vado all’edicola). Alla cartoleria is uncommon; prefer in cartoleria.

Are there alternatives to vicino a for “near”?

Yes, with slightly different nuances:

accanto a / di fianco a = right next to, beside.
nei pressi di = in the vicinity of (neutral/formal).
presso = at/near (formal, often institutional: presso l’università). All’ombra di and similar are figurative and not used here.

Can I change the word order?

Yes, but keep related parts together:

La cartoleria vicino all’edicola vende anche penne e colla. (original)
La cartoleria vende anche penne e colla, ed è vicino all’edicola. (split into two clauses) Don’t strand vicino all’edicola at the very end if it causes ambiguity.

What are the article combinations with a that I should know (like all’)?

a + il → al; a + lo → allo; a + l’ → all’; a + la → alla; a + i → ai; a + gli → agli; a + le → alle. Example: vicino al cinema, allo stadio, all’edicola, alla banca, ai musei, agli uffici, alle casse.