Learn Italian: Compri due biglietti? - Are you buying two tickets?

Compri due biglietti?

Are you buying two tickets?

Breakdown of Compri due biglietti?

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Questions & Answers about Compri due biglietti?

Where is the word for "you" in this sentence?

In Italian, you usually don't need to use subject words like tu (you) because the end of the verb already tells us who is doing the action. The verb here is comprare (to buy), which is a regular -are verb. To say "you buy", you drop the -are ending and add -i, giving us compri.

Why isn't there a word for "are" or "do" at the beginning of the question?

English uses helper verbs to ask questions, like "Are you buying?" or "Do you buy?". Italian doesn't do this! You just take the normal statement (compri due biglietti meaning "you are buying two tickets") and add a question mark. When speaking, you simply make your voice go up at the end.

Does compri mean "you buy" or "you are buying"?

It means both! Italian uses the simple present tense to cover both "you buy" (a general habit) and "you are buying" (happening right now). You can tell which one it is based on the context.

Why does biglietti end in an "i"?

Because it is plural! In Italian, most masculine nouns end in -o when there is just one, and change to an -i when there is more than one. So, one ticket is un biglietto, but two tickets becomes due biglietti.