Learn Italian: L'anno prossimo compriamo una casa nuova. - Next year we are buying a new house.

L'anno prossimo compriamo una casa nuova.

Next year we are buying a new house.

Breakdown of L'anno prossimo compriamo una casa nuova.

Questions & Answers about L'anno prossimo compriamo una casa nuova.

Why does the sentence start with L'? In English, we just say 'Next year' without an article.

In Italian, expressions of time usually need a definite article, similar to how you use il for specific dates. So, you must say l'anno prossimo (literally 'the next year'). We use l' here instead of il because anno starts with a vowel.

Can I say il prossimo anno instead of l'anno prossimo?

Yes! With the word prossimo (next), you can put the adjective either before or after the noun. Both l'anno prossimo and il prossimo anno are completely natural and mean the exact same thing.

Compriamo is the present tense ('we buy'). Why is it used for something happening next year?

Just like in English ('we are buying a house next year'), Italians often use the present tense for future events that are planned or certain. Since l'anno prossimo already makes it clear this is happening in the future, the present tense compriamo works perfectly without needing to learn a new future tense.

Why is the adjective nuova placed after casa?

In Italian, most descriptive adjectives go immediately after the noun they describe. So instead of 'a new house', you say una casa nuova (literally 'a house new').