Word
Il supermercato è a sinistra, vicino alla banca.
Meaning
The supermarket is on the left, near the bank.
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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)
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?