Which one should you use?
While fare shopping is a common way to express the activity, you may also see andare a fare shopping to mean 'to go shopping'. Additionally, fare compere can be used to mean 'to do shopping'.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
Fare shopping is considered an informal expression. For a more formal way to say 'to go shopping', you should use andare a fare acquisti.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase fare shopping uses the verb fare (to do/make) to express the activity itself. When you want to say 'to go shopping' as a complete action, you use the construction andare a followed by fare shopping.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfa.re ˈʃɔp.pinɡ/, with the stress on the 1st of 4 syllables.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Be careful not to confuse general shopping with grocery shopping. While fare shopping is used for leisure or general shopping, Italians use the specific, common phrase fare la spesa when they are buying groceries or necessities.
Did you know?
- The word fare is derived from the Late Latin fāre, connecting the modern act of shopping to ancient roots of creating and doing.
- The word spesa in fare la spesa literally translates to 'expense' or 'expenditure', making the act of grocery shopping sound more like a financial task than a leisure activity.
- Because fare shopping uses an English loanword, it is often used by younger generations or in fashion-related contexts, whereas older generations might prefer more traditional Italian expressions.
Examples in context
- Non andrò a fare shopping.I won't go shopping.This sentence is useful for practicing the negative form of fare shopping.Tatoeba #8372350 by Guybrush88, translation #6877192 by batsheep
- Voglio andare a fare shopping.I want to go shopping.This sentence shows how to express a desire to fare shopping.Tatoeba #11852906 by Guybrush88, translation #437043 by lukaszpp
- Volevo andare a fare shopping.I wanted to go shopping.This sentence demonstrates the past tense of the desire to fare shopping.Tatoeba #11852951 by Guybrush88, translation #6270458 by CK
- Vuoi andare a fare shopping insieme?Do you want to go shopping together?
- Mi piace tanto andare a spasso per i negoziI really enjoy going for a walk among the shops
- 35 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Francesco are discussing their plans for the afternoon.
- MartinaFrancesco, ti va di fare shopping con me?Francesco, do you want to go shopping with me?
- FrancescoSì, mi piacerebbe molto andare a fare shopping.Yes, I would really like to go shopping.
- MartinaPerfetto, allora andiamo in centro.Perfect, let's go downtown then.
- FrancescoOttima idea, andiamo subito!Great idea, let's go right now!
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (fare, shopping) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fare, shopping, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
