Breakdown of Il supermercato è a sinistra, vicino alla banca.
essere
to be
a
to / at
il supermercato
the supermarket
alla
to the / at the (feminine singular)
la banca
bank
vicino
near / close
la sinistra
the left (a sinistra = to / on the left)
Questions & Answers about Il supermercato è a sinistra, vicino alla banca.
Why do we use a in a sinistra instead of a word that literally means "on"?
In English, we say "on the left," but Italian uses the preposition a for these directions. A sinistra functions as a fixed phrase meaning "on the left." You will see the exact same pattern for "on the right," which is a destra.
Why does the sentence use alla instead of just saying vicino la banca?
The Italian expression for "near" or "close to" is vicino a. It requires that a after it! Because "the bank" is la banca, you have to combine the preposition a with the definite article la. In Italian, a + la always merges to form the articulated preposition alla.
Is it ever okay to drop the a and just say vicino il supermercato or vicino la banca?
In some very informal, regional spoken Italian, you might hear people drop the a, but it is grammatically incorrect. You should always practice using vicino a to build good habits.
Is banca the same word you would use for a park bench or a school desk?
No, banca specifically means a financial bank where you keep your money. If you are looking for a bench to sit on in a park, you want a panchina, and a counter in a bar or a desk in a school is a banco.
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