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L'appuntamento è alla farmacia.

L'appuntamento è alla farmacia.
The appointment is at the pharmacy.
From Lesson 46:Articulated prepositions with a (al, alla)·Italian

Questions & Answers about L'appuntamento è alla farmacia.

Why do we use alla here instead of just a or al?
alla is an articulated preposition made by combining a (at/to) with la (the). Because farmacia is a feminine singular noun, it takes the article la, which merges with a to become alla.
Could alla farmacia also mean "to the pharmacy"?
Yes, it can! The preposition a and its combined forms can mean "at" for a location or "to" for a destination. Because this sentence uses the verb è (is), it describes a fixed location. If you used a verb of motion, like vado (I go), it would translate as "to the pharmacy".
Why is it L'appuntamento and not Il appuntamento?
appuntamento is a masculine noun that starts with a vowel. To make pronunciation smoother, Italian drops the vowel from the definite article and uses l' instead of il or lo for singular nouns that begin with a vowel sound.
Is appuntamento only used for medical appointments?
No, it is very flexible! While it does mean a medical appointment, un appuntamento is also the standard word for a professional meeting, a casual get-together, or even a romantic date.

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