Learn Italian: La farmacia è accanto al panificio. - The pharmacy is next to the bakery.

La farmacia è accanto al panificio.

The pharmacy is next to the bakery.

Breakdown of La farmacia è accanto al panificio.

Questions & Answers about La farmacia è accanto al panificio.

Why is it accanto al and not just accanto il?

The phrase for next to in Italian is accanto a. Because panificio is a masculine noun starting with a consonant, it takes the definite article il. When the preposition a and the article il are side by side, they must combine to form al.

I usually see panetteria for bakery. What is the difference between a panetteria and a panificio?

They are often used interchangeably to mean bakery in everyday conversation. However, a panetteria is specifically the shop where bread is sold, while a panificio is the place where the bread is actually made and baked. Since many shops do both, you will see both words on Italian storefronts.

Where does the stress go when pronouncing farmacia?

Unlike the English word pharmacy where the stress is on the first part of the word, in Italian the stress falls on the i. You should pronounce it as far-ma-CI-a.

Could I say vicino al panificio instead of accanto al panificio?

You could, but the meaning changes slightly. Vicino a means close to or near, while accanto a is more specific and means right next to or beside.