Buyer, Goods, Seller, Beneficiary, Price, shop · Italian cloth · working claim, revisable
Voice[Buyer] + complement of the root (Goods, direct object) + Seller in da+NP where a line fills one + dative clitic, glossed per or da + Price, where a line prints one (a or per, the prepositions the encyclopedia names) + in+NP or a+NP for the shop, with da of a tradesman in that same series
A purchase, on this reading, has a Buyer, the Goods, a Seller when a line fills one, a Beneficiary when a line fills one, a Price when a line fills one, and a shop when a line fills one. They are not six equal sisters of comprare. Voice adds the Buyer. The root’s complement is the Goods, a direct object. Italian nouns have no case ending, so that object is not a morphological accusative. A full Seller phrase, where one is printed, is da+NP. The dative clitic is not reserved for the Beneficiary: Treccani glosses one dative as per me and another as da me, and De Mauro glosses one gli as per lui o da lui. A full a+NP of a person is unprinted in the articles opened. A Price is a or per in the encyclopedia’s name for the complement, and the verb articles fill a buon prezzo and a caro prezzo, not a sum. in and a add the shop. da of a tradesman is printed in that shop series, and the articles do not give it a separate Seller label. The drawing is working and revisable. It is not a settled analysis, and it is not a claim about telicity.
What is different from the English gloss. Cambridge prints buy with [+ two objects] in He bought his mother some flowers, and the same line offers He bought some flowers for his mother. The seller in the articles opened is from: I bought my camera from a friend of mine. Italian does not put those two persons in one full preposition, and it does not give the Beneficiary a bare noun. The full Seller phrase is da, the shape of English from. The dative clitic is the piece De Mauro leaves as both per lui and da lui. English for of a person matches the per gloss. English from matches the da gloss and the full da+NP. A numeral English for is unprinted in the Cambridge lines opened here. On Spanish comprar the selected a / le is the Seller, and the Beneficiary is para, and the grammar marks le ≠ su mamá. Italian gli is not that split. On French acheter one full à+NP is the Seller or the Beneficiary. Italian does not print that full a+NP of a person. On German kaufen the bare dative is the beneficiary, and on abkaufen that dative is the seller. Italian keeps one lemma, and the clitic is the piece the gloss leaves open.
Places · who wears which marking
No printed line stacks a Seller, a Beneficiary, the goods, and a sum. De Mauro’s glossed dative has nulla and no shop. Treccani’s shop abbreviations and the goods abbreviations sit in one paragraph and are not one clause. The price lines that fill a wording fill a caro prezzo or a buon prezzo, not a person.
Printed dative · both glosses on one clause
✓ non gli hanno comprato nulla, non hanno comprato nulla per lui o da luiDe Mauro · comprare · the gloss is the entry’s
they did not buy him anything · they did not buy anything for him or from him
Printed dative · the two glosses in two clauses
✓ che cosa m’hai comprato? (cioè: hai comprato per me); mi comperi queste uova, signora (cioè: le comperi da me)Treccani · col pronome dativo · le in the second gloss is the direct object of uova, not dative le
what did you buy me? · that is, you bought for me · buy these eggs from me, madam · that is, buy them from me
Places of Italian buy: introducer, marking, status, English marking
Place
Introduced by (working)
Italian marking
Status
English marking
Buyer
Spec,Voice
subject of comprare (ho, hai, hanno, comprò)
structural subject · a finite passive of the goods is unprinted
subject of buy
Goods
complement of the root
direct object (una casa, il pane, un vestito, queste uova, una bicicletta)
structural direct object · La grammatica italiana links the object with no preposition · Italian nouns have no case ending
object of buy · second object of Cambridge’s [+ two objects]
Seller
da+NP · revisable · the clitic has a second reading of the same person
dal macellaio, dal droghiere, dal produttore, dal lattaio · acquistare qcs. da qcn. · the gloss da me / da lui
the formula da qcn. is printed on acquistare · the tradesman phrases of comprare sit with the shop series · a full a+NP of that seller is unprinted
from + person (from a friend of mine)
Beneficiary
dative clitic, glossed per · revisable · the same clitic is also glossed da
m’hai comprato glossed per me · gli glossed per lui o da lui · si [= per Mario] on comprarsi
a full per+NP of a person is unprinted · a full a+NP of that person is unprinted · a bare second noun of that person is unprinted · dative le (to her) is unprinted on this verb
first object of [+ two objects] (his mother) · or for + person
Price
a or per, the prepositions the encyclopedia names · working MeasureP inside the phrase that fills one
a buon prezzo, a caro prezzo, a buon mercato · l’ho comprato a caro prezzo · (comprare) libri usati a cinque euro l’uno, the verb in parentheses under prezzo
oblique · the encyclopedia names comprare and fills no sum · per+sum on this verb is unprinted · a dieci euro al chilo is unprinted · a un euro al chilo is printed on patate (in vendita), not on the verb · a bare measure is unprinted in the modern articles opened
Cambridge’s commercial lines opened here do not print a numeral for · the for they print is the beneficiary
Shop / place
in+NP or a+NP · da of a tradesman in the same series · revisable
in bottega, in negozio · al mercato, alla cooperativa, all’outlet, al supermercato, al negozio · una casa a Milano · dal macellaio beside those phrases
printed as complements of the transitive article · a clause that prints the goods and the shop together is unprinted · dal fornaio is unprinted · this page does not rank the tradesman-da as Seller against shop
a shop phrase is unprinted in the Cambridge lines opened
Marking map. One letter can belong to several heads. Read the line, then the marker.
Direct object of the goods. Treccani’s first sense is Acquistare un oggetto, un bene, una proprietà pagandone il relativo prezzo, and the goods are una casa, il pane, tre metri di tela. Hoepli’s first sense is Acquistare qualcosa pagandone un prezzo, with il pane, un terreno, un appartamento. De Mauro’s first sense is acquistare col denaro, with un vestito, una casa. Sabatini-Coletti’s frame is [sogg-v-arg], Entrare in possesso di qlco. attraverso il pagamento del prezzo fissato, synonym acquistare, example c. il pane. Wiktionary’s example is ho comprato una casa a Milano. La grammatica italiana says the direct object is linked to the verb with no preposition, and the examples are Luca guarda la partita and Abbiamo scelto te, not comprare. The direct object of the purchase is the thing bought. It is not the price and not the person, except in the bribe sense, which stays off this frame.
The full Seller phrase is da+NP. The dative clitic is not only that Seller, and not only the Beneficiary. Treccani prints c. dal macellaio, dal droghiere, dal produttore in the same run as in bottega, in negozio, al mercato. De Mauro prints comprare qcs. dal droghiere, dal lattaio, al supermercato. On acquistare, De Mauro prints the formula acquistare qcs. da qcn. The words comprare qualcosa da qualcuno are unprinted on the comprare articles opened. The seller reading of the clitic is printed as a gloss. Treccani: mi comperi queste uova, signora (cioè: le comperi da me). The le of that gloss resumes uova. It is not dative le. De Mauro: non gli hanno comprato nulla, non hanno comprato nulla per lui o da lui. One gli is glossed both ways. A full a+NP of the seller, the Spanish al librero, is unprinted.
The Beneficiary gloss is per, on the same clitic. Treccani’s other dative is che cosa m’hai comprato? (cioè: hai comprato per me). De Mauro’s o puts per lui beside da lui on one clause. The Enciclopedia dell’Italiano prints the reflexive as a dative of advantage: Mario si [= per Mario] è comprato una bicicletta nuova. The beneficiary there is the subject. Sabatini-Coletti files comprarsi as reflexive with intensive value and prints no clause. La grammatica italiana introduces the complement of advantage with per, and glosses an atonic pronoun Gli (= per lui) on ho preparato una cena. The verb of that line is not comprare. A full per+NP of a person, and a full a+NP of that person, are unprinted on comprare. The complemento di termine is introduced by a in that grammar, and the examples are dare, restituire, and dire, not this verb. English for of a person matches the per gloss. French à of a full noun is the ambiguity Italian prints on the clitic, not on a+NP.
No clitic doubling, and no personal a. The dative lines print the clitic and no full person phrase in the same clause. The Enciclopedia dell’Italiano files a clitic beside a full phrase as a dislocation ripresa, gliel’ho dato il messaggio, a tuo cugino, on dare, and files raddoppiamento clitico in a me mi piace. Neither verb is comprare. A neutral doubling of a full person phrase by gli on this verb is unprinted. The direct object takes no preposition in the grammar cited above. The bribe person is bare: Treccani c. i giudici, i testimoni, Hoepli c. l’arbitro della partita, De Mauro comprare un giudice, un arbitro, Sabatini-Coletti c. il giudice, Wiktionary comprò tutta la giuria. Spanish Comprar al árbitro has a. Those lines stay off the purchase frame. They are the citation for the missing personal a.
Price is a or per in the encyclopedia, and the filled wording on the verb is a plus a price name. The Treccani encyclopedia, under prezzo, linguistics, says the complement of price with affittare, vendere, comprare is introduced by a or per. With costare and pagare it has no preposition. No sum is filled. Treccani’s verb article prints c. a buon prezzo and c. a caro prezzo. De Mauro prints comprare a buon prezzo and comprare a caro prezzo. Hoepli prints c. a buon mercato. Sabatini-Coletti under prezzo prints l’ho comprato a caro prezzo, and, with the verb in parentheses, (comprare) libri usati a cinque euro l’uno. The same paragraph’s a un euro al chilo is patate (in vendita). te lo cedo per poco is cedere. A filled per+sum on comprare, and a dieci euro al chilo, are unprinted. Neither is constructed. per of a person, in the dative gloss, is not this price.
in+NP and a+NP are the shop. da of a tradesman is printed beside them. Treccani: c. in bottega, in negozio, alla cooperativa, al mercato, all’outlet; c. dal macellaio, dal droghiere, dal produttore. De Mauro: al supermercato beside dal droghiere, dal lattaio. Hoepli: c. al mercato, al negozio, in, alla fabbrica. The comma after in is the entry’s. Wiktionary’s a Milano is the city of una casa. dal fornaio is unprinted. The articles do not say whether dal macellaio is the Seller of the clitic gloss or the shop. This page does not rank it.
What Spanish assigns to le, Italian leaves on gli. On comprar the selected indirect object is the seller, and the beneficiary is para, and the two stack. On comprare De Mauro prints both glosses of one gli. On acheter Larousse prints both glosses of one full à+NP. Italian prints no such full a+NP of a person. German kaufen spells the beneficiary as a bare dative. German abkaufen spells the seller as a bare dative. Italian does not split the lemma. English from and for make the split the Italian clitic does not make, and Italian da+NP makes the seller split the clitic does not make by itself.
EN ⇄ IT valency strip
Each row lines up one English slot with an Italian slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same object status), or shift (from / for ↔ the Italian marker the line prints). Printed dictionary lines come first. Every other sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment, not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus.
English–Italian valency alignment for buy / comprare, one row per argument
Slot
EN form
IT form
Align
EN example
IT example
Buyer
SUBJ of buy
subject
=
I bought my camera from a friend of mine Cambridge
ho comprato una casaWiktionary · hannoDe Mauro
Goods
OBJ of buy
direct object
=
buy a small car Cambridge
il paneTreccani · Hoepli · Sabatini-Coletti · un vestitoDe Mauro · una casaWiktionary
Seller as da
from + person
da+NP
shift · from ↔ da
I bought my camera from a friend of mine Cambridge
acquistare qcs. da qcn.De Mauro · acquistare · dal macellaioTreccani · listed with the shops
Seller as the clitic
from + person
dative clitic, one of two glosses
the gloss is da · the same clitic is also per
the same Cambridge from
mi comperi queste uova glossed da meTreccani · da luiDe Mauro · one limb of o
Seller as a+NP
from + person
unprinted
not the printed seller marking
the same Cambridge from
— a full a+NP of a person unprinted
Beneficiary as the clitic
for + person, or the first object of [+ two objects]
dative clitic, glossed per
= the person · the Italian form is the clitic, and De Mauro does not close the other gloss
He bought some flowers for his mother Cambridge · the slash-mate of the double object
m’hai comprato glossed per meTreccani · per luiDe Mauro
Beneficiary as per+NP
for + person
the gloss is per+pronoun · a full noun is unprinted
the pronoun gloss is printed · the full noun is not
the same Cambridge for
per me · per lui · per Mario on siTreccani · De Mauro · Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · — a full per+NP unprinted
Seller and Beneficiary together
from and for would be two phrases · unprinted as one Cambridge line
one clitic, two glosses · not two phrases
De Mauro prints o · Spanish prints two phrases
—
per lui o da luiDe Mauro
Price as a
unprinted as a numeral for in the Cambridge lines opened
a + a price name · a numeral rate where prezzo prints one
the price name is on the verb · the numeral has the verb in parentheses
—
a buon prezzo · a caro prezzoTreccani · De Mauro · l’ho comprato a caro prezzoSabatini-Coletti · prezzo · a cinque euro l’unothe same article · verb in parentheses
Price as per+sum
unprinted as a numeral for
named · unfilled on comprare
the encyclopedia names per · a filled sum is unprinted
—
— per+sum unprinted on comprare · a dieci euro al chilo unprinted · a un euro al chilo is in vendita
Shop
unprinted in the lines opened
in+NP · a+NP · tradesman-da unranked
the Italian shop is printed · the goods are not in that abbreviation
—
in negozio · al mercatoTreccani · al supermercatoDe Mauro
Passive of the goods
the goods as subject
unprinted as a finite passive
the participle is printed as an adjective
The company was set up to buy and sell shares Cambridge · active · a goods-passive of buy is unprinted in the lines opened
pane compratoTreccani · participle as adjective · not a finite passive
The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame, with English on top and Italian under it. The person chip is the clitic, and the card keeps both glosses. The Seller chip of a full phrase is da. The price card stays inside a caro prezzo. The shop card stays inside in.
EN · IT · one gli, two glosses
per lui o da lui
They did not buy anything for him, or from him.
Non gli hanno comprato nulla.
IT · De Mauro · the gloss per lui o da lui is the entry’s · EN side is that gloss
RolesHide rolesBuyerPersonGoods
Buyer they · hannoPerson for him or from him · gliGoods anything · nulla
MoveEnglish from and for are one Italian clitic · Spanish le is the Seller and para is the Beneficiary · French puts the ambiguity on a full à+NP
EN · IT · printed da of a person
da qcn.
I bought my camera from a friend of mine.
Acquistare qcs. da qcn.
IT · De Mauro · acquistare · the formula · EN · Cambridge · from
RolesHide rolesBuyerSellerGoods
Buyer ISeller from a friend · da qcn.Goods my camera · qcs.
Moveda+NP is the full Seller · the formula is on acquistare · a full a+NP of that person is unprinted · Spanish a / le is that person
EN · IT · printed a of a price name
a caro prezzo
I bought it at a high price.
L’ho comprato a caro prezzo.
IT · Sabatini-Coletti · prezzo · EN gloss constructed
RolesHide rolesBuyerGoodsPrice
Buyer hoGoods it · l’Price at a high price · a caro prezzo
=a is the price name · not a person · a numeral English for is unprinted · per+sum and a dieci euro al chilo are unprinted on comprare
EN · IT · printed in
in negozio
Buy in a shop.
Comprare in negozio.
IT · Treccani · abbreviated complement · EN gloss constructed
RolesHide rolesBuyerShop
Buyer the subject of comprareShop in negozio
Movein is the shop · the goods are not in the abbreviation · dal macellaio is printed in the same run and is not labeled · a shop phrase is unprinted in the Cambridge lines opened
Examples
Argument difference. English can package the beneficiary and the goods as two bare objects, He bought his mother some flowers, or put that person in for, and it puts the seller in from. Italian prints one direct object, the goods. The full Seller phrase is da+NP. The dative clitic is not fixed: De Mauro glosses non gli hanno comprato nulla as per lui o da lui, and Treccani splits the same pronoun into per me and da me on two clauses. A full a+NP of a person is unprinted, so Italian a is not the French à and not the Spanish seller-a. Spanish le is the Seller and Spanish para is the Beneficiary, and they are not one clitic. On kaufen the dative is the beneficiary, and on abkaufen the dative is the seller. The converse vendere puts the seller in the subject. That seller is not the da-phrase of comprare, and it is not the person the clitic leaves open.
Dictionary frames and lines · checked · quoted as printed
Acquistare un oggetto, un bene, una proprietà pagandone il relativo prezzo.c. una casa · c. il pane · c. in bottega, in negozio, alla cooperativa, al mercato, all’outlet · c. dal macellaio, dal droghiere, dal produttore · c. a buon prezzo · c. a caro prezzo. Treccani · sense 1a · the price is named in the definition · no sum is filled
col pronome dativo: che cosa m’hai comprato? (cioè: hai comprato per me); mi comperi queste uova, signora (cioè: le comperi da me).Treccani · the two glosses are the entry’s · le resumes uova
c. i giudici, i testimoni.Treccani · sense 2 · bribe · the person is the direct object · no a · off the purchase frame
comprare qcs. dal droghiere, dal lattaio, al supermercato; mi compri il giornale?; col pron. dativo: non gli hanno comprato nulla, non hanno comprato nulla per lui o da lui.De Mauro · mi compri il giornale? is printed and unglossed · the glossed dative is the next clause
acquistare qcs. da qcn.De Mauro · acquistare sense 1a · glossed comprare · the gli of sense 1b, quel lavoro gli acquistò molta fama, is procurare, not this purchase
Acquistare qualcosa pagandone un prezzo.c. il pane · c. al mercato, al negozio, in, alla fabbrica · c. a buon mercato · c. l’arbitro della partita. Hoepli · Gabrielli · the comma after in is the entry’s · the referee is the bribe · no da and no dative on this article
[sogg-v-arg] Entrare in possesso di qlco. attraverso il pagamento del prezzo fissato. SIN acquistare. c. il pane · c. a rate · c. il giudice. Sabatini-Coletti · no da, no dative, no sum · the understood object is named for the general purchase, with a rate
l’ho comprato a caro prezzo. · (comprare) libri usati a cinque euro l’uno. · patate (in vendita) a un euro al chilo.Sabatini-Coletti · prezzo · the parentheses are the entry’s · al chilo is not on comprare
introdotto dalle preposizioni a o per.Treccani encyclopedia · prezzo · linguistics · the class includes comprare · no sum is filled
Mario si [= per Mario] è comprato una bicicletta nuova.Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · verbi riflessivi · si is the beneficiary · the beneficiary is the subject
gliel’ho dato il messaggio, a tuo cugino. · a me mi piace.Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · clitici · dislocation on dare · raddoppiamento · the verb is not comprare
ho comprato una casa a Milano. · comprò tutta la giuria.Wiktionary · a Milano is the city · the jury is the bribe · synonym acquistare
pane comprato, non fatto in casa.Treccani · participle as adjective · not a finite passive
He bought his mother some flowers / He bought some flowers for his mother. · I bought my camera from a friend of mine. · buy a small car.Cambridge · buy · [+ two objects] is the entry’s label · the slash is the entry’s
The paradigm Treccani prints is io cómpro, beside comperare. Hoepli and Sabatini-Coletti print the same pair of spellings. Treccani · Hoepli · Sabatini-Coletti That paradigm is morphology. It is not a second event. Garzanti Linguistica returned no article. Lo Zingarelli was not opened. No frame is taken from either.
Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not spontaneous-speech citations and not dictionary lines. Pat continues the named-participant series on vendere. A name does not spell a role. gli is the clitic De Mauro glosses both ways.
✓Pat non gli ha comprato nulla.
RolesHide rolesBuyerPersonGoods
Buyer PatPerson gli · per lui o da luiGoods nulla
constructed · modelled on De Mauro’s non gli hanno comprato nulla · Pat is the substitution · the gloss stays the entry’s · the clitic is not assigned to one role
✓Pat compra il pane dal macellaio.
RolesHide rolesBuyerda-phraseGoods
Buyer Patda-phrase dal macellaioGoods il pane
constructed · the complements are Treccani’s, printed as separate abbreviations · not one citation · the article does not label dal macellaio Seller or shop
✓Pat compra in negozio.
RolesHide rolesBuyerShop
Buyer PatShop in negozio
constructed · modelled on Treccani’s c. in negozio · the goods are not in the abbreviation
*Pat compra Maria il pane.
RolesHide rolesPersonGoods
Person MariaGoods il pane
constructed · two bare objects · the printed person beside the goods is the dative clitic or da · English his mother has no preposition
✓ Acquistare … pagandone il relativo prezzoTreccani · goods · the price named, no sum filled
✓ acquistare qcs. da qcn.De Mauro · acquistare · full Seller
✓ per lui o da luiDe Mauro · one gli · both glosses
✓ per me and da meTreccani · two dative clauses
✓ a caro prezzoSabatini-Coletti · prezzo · not a person
✓ in negozioTreccani · the shop · goods not in the abbreviation
✓ si [= per Mario]Enciclopedia dell’Italiano · beneficiary is the subject
✓ c. i giudiciTreccani · bribe · bare direct object · off the frame
What the passive shows
A passive would be an operation on the same places. It would not add a participant. The participle comprato is the form Treccani prints, as an adjective: pane comprato, non fatto in casa. It is not given a telicity reading. A finite passive that promotes the goods, and a passive that keeps a seller or a beneficiary, are unprinted in the articles opened. Nothing further is constructed.
The reflexive is not that passive. The Enciclopedia dell’Italiano prints Mario si [= per Mario] è comprato una bicicletta nuova. si is the beneficiary, and the beneficiary is the subject. The goods stay the object. Sabatini-Coletti names comprarsi and prints no clause.
The other senses stay off the purchase frame. Treccani sense 2, c. i giudici, i testimoni, puts the person in the direct object. Hoepli’s c. l’arbitro della partita, De Mauro’s comprare un giudice, un arbitro, Sabatini-Coletti’s c. il giudice, and Wiktionary’s comprò tutta la giuria are the same, with no personal a. Cambridge’s She'll never buy that story is the English believe sense. Those lines stop at the citation.
Derivations · working sketches, revisable
Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The drawing gives the Buyer to Voice, the Goods to the root, a full Seller to da+NP, the person of the dative clitic to the gloss the line prints (per or da), a Price to a or per where a line prints one, and the shop to in or a. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.
Voice · the Buyer is the external argument
Constructed · the finite verb · one external argument
[TP Pat
[VoiceP Pat Voice ← Buyer = Spec,Voice
… comprare … ]]
✓ Pat compra il pane.constructed
The external argument is the Buyer. English keeps that one subject on buy. A finite passive of the goods is unprinted. Treccani’s pane comprato is the participle as an adjective. On vendere the external argument is the Seller, not this Buyer.
The clitic is per or da · a full Seller is da+NP
One direct object · one dative clitic · one da · working, revisable
[VoiceP hanno Voice
[ApplP gli Appl ← per lui o da lui
[VP √compr-
[Theme nulla ]]]] ← De Mauro
← not two phrases
[VoiceP Pat Voice
[VP √compr-
[Theme qcs. ]
[PP da [ qcn. ]]]] ← De Mauro · acquistare
← a full a+NP of a person is unprinted
[VoiceP ho Voice
[VP √compr-
[Theme l’ ]
[PP a [ caro prezzo ]]]] ← Sabatini-Coletti · prezzo
← not the person
The Seller phrase and the Beneficiary gloss are not one preposition. De Mauro’s o is two glosses of one clitic. a of caro prezzo is the price. in is the shop. da of a tradesman is printed in the shop series and is not given the Seller label of da qcn. A full a+NP of a person is unprinted. A neutral doubling of the clitic by that phrase is unprinted.
✓ non gli hanno comprato nullaDe Mauro · both glosses
✓ acquistare qcs. da qcn.De Mauro · full Seller
✓ l’ho comprato a caro prezzoSabatini-Coletti · price name
* Pat compra Maria il pane.constructed · two bare objects · unprinted
English counterpart · from, for, and the double object · Spanish le · French à · German datives
Working · no English buy page is opened · Spanish is comprar · French is acheter · German is kaufen
[VoiceP I Voice
[VP √BUY
[Theme my camera ]
[PP from [ a friend of mine ]]]] ← Cambridge
· Italian da+NP
[VoiceP he Voice
[ApplP his mother Appl ← Beneficiary · bare object
[VP √BUY
[Theme some flowers ]]]] ← Cambridge [+ two objects]
· an Italian bare second noun is unprinted
[VoiceP he Voice
[VP √BUY
[Theme some flowers ]
[PP for [ his mother ]]]] ← the same Cambridge line
· Italian per is the clitic’s gloss
· a full per+NP is unprinted
· a numeral English for is unprinted
Cambridge’s from is the seller. Italian spells a full phrase of that person as da, and spells one reading of the clitic as da too. Cambridge’s for of a person, and the first object of [+ two objects], are the beneficiary. Italian spells that reading as per on the same clitic, and does not print a full per+NP. Spanish le is the seller, and Spanish para is the beneficiary. French à covers both readings of a full noun. German kaufen spells the beneficiary as a bare dative. German abkaufen spells the seller as a bare dative.
Layer-by-layer parallel: English buy, Italian comprare, Spanish comprar, French acheter, German kaufen
dative clitic, glossed per · the same clitic is also glossed da · a full per+NP unprinted · a full a+NP of a person unprinted
para+NP · not a CI · not the same le as the Seller
à+NP, the same phrase as the Seller · pour+NP
dative on kaufen · für+person unprinted
Seller
from + person
da+NP · da qcn. on acquistare · one gloss of the clitic · tradesman-da unranked against the shop
selected a+NP or le · de+NP unprinted
à+NP · lui on the seller line · de+NP where printed
bare dative on abkaufen · von+dative where kaufen prints it
Goods
object
direct object
direct object
direct object
accusative
Price
unprinted as a numeral for in the lines opened
a or per named · a buon prezzo / a caro prezzo filled · a sum unprinted on this verb
por on the transaction class · a + a rate · a bare measure unprinted on this verb
pour + a sum · à + a rate
für + a sum
Shop
unprinted in the lines opened
in+NP · a+place · tradesman-da in the same series
en+NP · intransitive in the line opened
chez+NP · place-à unranked
bei+dative, unranked against von
Doubling
no clitic to double
unprinted · the encyclopedia’s co-occurrence is not this verb
normally optional and usually frequent for a postposed full noun
the printed seller line can have lui without a full noun in the same clause
a bare dative is the phrase · no clitic doubling of that shape
On vendere the subject is the seller. On comprare the subject is the buyer, a full seller phrase is da, and the clitic is the person De Mauro glosses both ways. The analogy is the added person-phrase. It is not a claim that a beneficiary and a seller are one role.
Notes
Working paper · October 2026 · Italian micro-entry · Beyond Index 2
Buying in Italian is not one a. Buyer (Voice, subject), Goods (complement of the root, direct object), Seller in da+NP where a line fills one, and the dative clitic glossed per or da. A full a+NP of a person is unprinted. Price is a or per where the encyclopedia names them, and the filled verb lines are a buon prezzo and a caro prezzo. The shop is in or a, and da of a tradesman sits in that series. English buy X from Y is from. English buy something for someone is for. A numeral English for is unprinted in the lines opened. Spanish le is the Seller and Spanish para is the Beneficiary. French acheter à leaves a full noun ambiguous. German kaufen puts the beneficiary in a bare dative. German abkaufen puts the seller in a bare dative.
IT micro-entry liveBeyond Index 2gli glossed per or daES comprar liveFR acheter liveDE kaufen live
Sense × language: buy · Italian (comprare). The purchase sense is the page. The bribe sense stays off the frame. acquistare is cited where a dictionary prints the purchase. No English buy hub. Geometry neighbors: sell · vendere, the converse, buy · comprar, buy · acheter, and buy · kaufen. Index 2 Italian Transfer cites scambiare, dare — not this verb. Payment cites pagare, bonificare, trasferire.
Working paper.
Italian micro-entry, the fourth language of buy. Dictionary frames were read on Treccani (comprare, acquistare, and the encyclopedia article prezzo), on Hoepli (Gabrielli, comprare), on Sabatini-Coletti (comprare and prezzo), on Il Nuovo De Mauro (comprare and acquistare), on Italian Wiktionary, and on La grammatica italiana and the Enciclopedia dell’Italiano for the object, the dative, the reflexive, and clitics, with Cambridge for English buy.
Constructed examples.
Dictionary lines are marked as printed. Every other full clause is marked constructed. The bare double object is starred because the filled person-marking beside the goods is the dative clitic or da. A full a+NP of a person, a full per+NP, per+sum, and a dieci euro al chilo are unprinted on comprare and are not constructed.
Arity: several places, not one flat verb.
Index 2 does not list comprare. Surface count can name a buyer, the goods, a seller, a beneficiary, a price, and a shop. The lexicon does not list those as co-arguments of one flat V. Voice adds the Buyer. The root takes the Goods. da adds a Seller where a line fills one. The dative clitic adds the person the gloss leaves as per or da. a or per adds a Price, according to the line that prints one. in or place-a adds the shop. No telicity claim is made from the participle.
What this page does not do.
It does not open an English page of buy. It does not edit kaufen, acheter, or comprar beyond the language list, and it does not edit vendere. The bribe sense and the believe line stop at the citation.
Hierarchy
Not a flat grid of six sisters, and not one preposition copied from the English gloss. Voice adds the Buyer. The root takes the Goods. da+NP adds the Seller where the line is da qcn. or the gloss da me / da lui. The dative clitic adds the person De Mauro glosses as per lui o da lui. a of a price name, or per where the encyclopedia names it and a line fills it, adds a Price. in or place-a adds the shop. The drawing is working and revisable.
What Italian changes, against Spanish le, is that the clitic is not assigned to the Seller alone, and the Beneficiary is not a second preposition in the same clause. What Italian changes, against French à, is that the ambiguity is printed on the clitic, and the full person phrase of the Seller is da, not a. What Italian changes, against German kaufen and abkaufen, is that the two dative readings stay on one lemma and on one clitic. What Italian shares with English is da of a person, matching from, and a per gloss, matching for of a person. The printed Italian price name has no numeral twin in the Cambridge lines opened here.
Geometry · buy beside vendere, comprar, acheter, and kaufen
English buy. Beneficiary as the first object of [+ two objects], or in for. Seller in from. A numeral for is unprinted in the lines opened. Believe sense buy that story, informal. No English page is opened.
comprare. Direct-object goods. Seller in da+NP, including da qcn. on acquistare. Dative clitic glossed per or da. Full a+NP of a person unprinted. a of a price name. per of a sum named and unfilled. in or a of the shop. Tradesman-da unranked against that shop.
comprar. Selected a+NP or le of the Seller. para+NP of the Beneficiary, not the same le. Italian gli is not that split. Spanish doubling of a postposed full noun is normally optional. Italian prints no such doubling on this verb.
acheter.à+NP of the Seller or of the Beneficiary. Larousse prints both glosses of one sentence. Italian prints that pair of glosses on the clitic, and prints the full Seller as da.
kaufen. Accusative goods. Bare dative beneficiary. Price für + a sum. On abkaufen the bare dative is the seller. That split is a split of lemmas.
vendere. The converse. The seller is the subject. The buyer of that page is not the da-phrase of comprare.
Open items
A full a+NP of a person, Seller or Beneficiary. Unprinted on comprare and on the purchase sense of acquistare. The printed person phrases are da+NP and the dative clitic. The complemento di termine is introduced by a in the grammar, on other verbs. Not constructed.
Dative le, to her. Unprinted on comprare. Treccani’s le in le comperi da me is the direct object of uova. The atonic series in the grammar of the complemento di termine includes le, and the examples are not this verb. Not constructed.
A full per+NP of a person. Unprinted. The printed per of a person is per me, per lui, and per Mario on si. Not constructed.
per+sum, and a dieci euro al chilo. Unprinted on comprare. The encyclopedia names a and per and fills no sum. The filled price names are a buon prezzo and a caro prezzo. a cinque euro l’uno has the verb in parentheses under prezzo. a un euro al chilo is patate (in vendita). Not constructed.
dal fornaio, and the rank of dal macellaio.dal fornaio is unprinted. The printed tradesmen are macellaio, droghiere, produttore, and lattaio, in the shop series. The articles do not label that da as the Seller of da qcn. Not ranked.
mi compri il giornale? Printed by De Mauro and unglossed. The glossed dative is the following clause. Not assigned.
Goods and shop in one clause. Seller, beneficiary, goods, and a sum in one clause. Unprinted. Treccani’s abbreviations are not one clause. De Mauro’s glossed dative has nulla and no shop. Not constructed as a stack.
A neutral doubling of a full person phrase. Unprinted on comprare. The encyclopedia’s co-occurrence is a dislocation on dare, or a me mi piace. Not constructed.
A finite passive of the goods. Unprinted. The printed participle is an adjective. Not constructed.
Garzanti and Lo Zingarelli. Garzanti Linguistica returned no article. Lo Zingarelli was not opened. No frame is supplied from either.
A numeral for on English buy. Unprinted in the Cambridge lines opened here. Not supplied from outside those lines.
Corpus filenames and sources
Dictionary frames: Treccani comprare and acquistare; Treccani encyclopedia prezzo; Hoepli, Gabrielli, comprare; Sabatini-Coletti comprare and prezzo; Il Nuovo De Mauro comprare and acquistare; Italian Wiktionary comprare; La grammatica italiana on the direct object, the complemento di termine, and the complement of advantage; Enciclopedia dell’Italiano on reflexive verbs and clitics; Cambridge buy. Constructed clauses put a printed marker on a named buyer. Index 2 does not list this lemma. Italian Transfer in Index 2 is scambiare, dare.
Treccani · acquistaretreccani.it/vocabolario/acquistare · purchase by payment · no da qcn. on this article · the gli of gli acquistarono gran fama is not the purchase
Records the subject Buyer and the direct-object Goods of comprare. Records that a full Seller phrase is da+NP, and that the dative clitic is glossed per or da. Records that a full a+NP of a person is unprinted. Records a of a price name, and per of a sum as named and unfilled. Records in and a of the shop. Does not open an English page.