A dicembre compro un regalo per mia madre.

In Italian, a + month is a very common way to say in + month.

So:

• a dicembre = in December
• a gennaio = in January
• a maggio = in May

You may also sometimes see in dicembre, but a dicembre is the more natural, everyday choice in this kind of sentence.

Months in Italian normally do not take an article when you are simply saying in December, during December, and so on.

So you say:

• a dicembre
• a luglio
• a marzo

You would only use an article in more specific or unusual contexts, not in a basic time expression like this one.

Italian often uses the present tense for things that are:

• habitual
• scheduled
• planned
• understood from context to be in the near future

So A dicembre compro un regalo per mia madre can mean something like:

• In December I buy a gift for my mother as a habit
• In December I’m buying a gift for my mother
• I buy my mother a gift in December

The time phrase a dicembre helps make the time clear, so Italian does not always need a future tense form here.

Because the ending -o already tells you the subject is I.

• compro = I buy

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed, because the verb ending already shows who is doing the action.

You can say io compro, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Io compro un regalo per mia madre, tu per tuo padre. = I’m buying a gift for my mother, you for your father.

The indefinite article un is used before most masculine singular nouns.

• un regalo
• un libro
• un tavolo

Uno is only used before certain masculine nouns that begin with special sound combinations, such as:

• uno studente
• uno zaino
• uno psicologo

Since regalo begins with a simple r sound, the correct form is un regalo.

In this sentence, you can tell because it uses the masculine article un:

• un regalo

Also, many Italian nouns ending in -o are masculine, although that is not a perfect rule in every case.

So here:

• regalo = masculine singular
• plural: regali

Here per means for.

• un regalo per mia madre = a gift for my mother

It shows who the gift is intended for.

This is the normal preposition to use with gifts, actions done for someone, and intended recipients.

With singular family members, Italian usually drops the article before a possessive.

So you normally say:

• mia madre = my mother
• mio padre = my father
• mio fratello = my brother

But:

• la mia amica = my friend
• il mio libro = my book

Family words are a special case here. There are some exceptions, but mia madre is the standard form.

Yes, that is possible, but it changes the structure slightly.

• compro un regalo per mia madre = I buy a gift for my mother
• compro a mia madre un regalo = literally I buy my mother a gift

Both are correct, but they are built differently:

• per mia madre focuses on who the gift is for
• a mia madre treats my mother more like an indirect object

The original sentence with per is very natural and straightforward.

The given order is natural:

• A dicembre compro un regalo per mia madre.

But Italian word order is somewhat flexible, especially for emphasis.

For example:

• Compro un regalo per mia madre a dicembre.
• Per mia madre compro un regalo a dicembre.

These are possible, but the original sentence is the most neutral and clear. Putting A dicembre first gives time information right away.

Yes. Depending on context, it can mean either:

• a specific December
• December in general / every December

So the sentence could describe:

• a one-time plan
• a repeated habit

For example, if someone is talking about annual holiday shopping, A dicembre compro un regalo per mia madre could easily mean Every December I buy a gift for my mother.

Compro is pronounced roughly KOHM-proh.

A few helpful points:

• co- sounds like koh
• -mpro keeps the m and pr close together
• the stress is on the first syllable: CÓM-pro

So: CÓM-pro.

Yes. Madre and mamma both mean mother/mom, but they have different tones.

• mia madre is slightly more neutral or formal
• mia mamma is warmer and more familiar, like my mom

So these are both correct:

• A dicembre compro un regalo per mia madre.
• A dicembre compro un regalo per mia mamma.

The choice depends on tone and personal style.