Learn Italian: Compro uno spazzolino nuovo e il dentifricio. - I am buying a new toothbrush and the toothpaste.

For masculine words starting with an 's' followed by another consonant (like sp in spazzolino), Italian uses the indefinite article uno instead of un. This rule exists to make the words flow together and be easier to pronounce!

Why does the adjective nuovo come after the noun?

In Italian, most descriptive adjectives are placed after the noun they describe. So instead of saying 'a new toothbrush,' you say uno spazzolino nuovo (literally 'a toothbrush new').

Where is the word for 'I' in this sentence?

It is built right into the verb! Because compro (from the verb comprare) ends in -o, it automatically means 'I buy' or 'I am buying'. You can drop the pronoun io (I) unless you really want to emphasize who is doing the action.

How do I know if compro means 'I buy' or 'I am buying'?

The standard Italian present tense covers both meanings. Compro translates to both 'I buy' (as a routine) and 'I am buying' (happening right now). You just rely on the context of the situation to know which one makes the most sense.