Al mercato compro un’albicocca molto dolce.

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Breakdown of Al mercato compro un’albicocca molto dolce.

• molto: very
• comprare: to buy
• il mercato: the market

Questions & Answers about Al mercato compro un’albicocca molto dolce.

Why is it al mercato and not just a mercato?

Because al is the contraction of a + il.

• a = to / at
• il mercato = the market
• a + il = al

So al mercato means at the market or to the market, depending on context.

Italian usually uses a preposition + article together with many places:

• al supermercato
• alla stazione
• al mare

Why is there no io before compro?

Italian often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

The verb ending already tells you who is doing the action:

• compro = I buy
• compri = you buy
• compra = he/she buys

So compro already means I buy, and io is optional. You would add io only for emphasis or contrast:

• Io compro un’albicocca, tu una pesca.

What tense is compro?

Compro is the present indicative of comprare.

Here it can mean:

• I buy
• I am buying
• sometimes even a habitual action like I buy at the market

Italian uses the present tense more broadly than English, so the exact English translation depends on context.