Learn Italian: Oggi andiamo alla spiaggia o al mercato? - Today do we go to the beach or to the market?

Oggi andiamo alla spiaggia o al mercato?

Today do we go to the beach or to the market?

Breakdown of Oggi andiamo alla spiaggia o al mercato?

oggi

today

andare

to go / to be fine / to work out

to / at

Questions & Answers about Oggi andiamo alla spiaggia o al mercato?

Why do we use alla before spiaggia but al before mercato?

Both mean "to the", but they change to match the gender of the noun. Spiaggia (beach) is feminine, so we combine a (to) and la (the) to make alla. Mercato (market) is masculine, so we combine a and il to make al.

Can I just say a la spiaggia instead of alla spiaggia?

No. In Italian, when the preposition a (to) comes right before a definite article like il or la (the), they must merge into one single word. Leaving them separate as a la or a il is always grammatically incorrect.

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

It is built right into the verb! Andiamo is the "we" form of the verb andare (to go). Because the ending -iamo already tells us exactly who is going, you don't need to include the pronoun noi (we).

How does the sentence become a question if there is no word for "do"?

Italian doesn't use helper words like "do" to make a question. You just use the regular statement Oggi andiamo (Today we go) and add a question mark. When speaking, you simply raise the pitch of your voice at the end of the sentence.