Breakdown of Compro le sigarette dal tabaccaio.
comprare
to buy
dal
from the; to/at the (da + il)
il tabaccaio
the tobacconist
la sigaretta
the cigarette
Questions & Answers about Compro le sigarette dal tabaccaio.
How would I change this sentence to use the impersonal "si" we are learning in this lesson?
Currently, this sentence uses a specific subject: "I buy" (compro). To make it general, like "One buys cigarettes" or "People buy cigarettes," you would use the impersonal structure: Si comprano le sigarette dal tabaccaio. Notice that because the object (le sigarette) is plural, the verb must also take the plural form comprano, rather than the singular compra.
Why does the sentence use dal instead of a word for "at" or "in"?
In Italian, when you talk about going to or being at a person's shop or workplace (like a doctor, baker, or tobacconist), you must use the preposition da. Dal is the combination of da + il. So dal tabaccaio literally translates to "by the tobacconist," which is the natural Italian way to say "at the tobacconist's."
Is tabaccaio the word for the shop itself?
Could I drop the le and just say Compro sigarette?
In English, we usually drop the article for general plurals ("I buy cigarettes"), but Italian loves its definite articles. While not strictly wrong if you mean "some cigarettes," you will almost always hear Italians include the article (le sigarette) when talking about habits, general categories, or a standard product like this.
Learn Compro le sigarette dal tabaccaio and more in Italian
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free