Vocapedia
Log inTry for Free
Log in

Looking up...

Words

  • Words of the Year
  • Recent Lookups
  • My Dictionary

Languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German

Features

  • Words of the Year
  • My Collections List
  • Reviews
  • Learning Resources
  • Community Collections

Learn

  • How It Works
  • Study Guides
  • Language Tips
  • FAQ
  • Getting Started
  • For Individuals
  • For Teachers

Community

  • Forum
  • Blog
  • Help Center
  • Partnerships

About

  • About Vocapedia
  • Contact Us
  • Feedback

Legal

  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Accessibility
  • GDPR Compliance
© 2026 Vocapedia. All rights reserved.

essere a buon mercato

/esˈseː.re a ˌbwɔn merˈkaː.to/
phrase★Intermediate— to be cheap
informal

to be inexpensive or low in price

Ho comprato questo vestito perché era a buon mercato.

I bought this dress because it was cheap.

I mercati all'aperto sono sempre a buon mercato.

Open-air markets are always cheap.

💡

Used to describe goods, services, or prices that are affordable or cost little. Often implies good value for money.

Collocations

prezzo a buon mercatocheap priceofferta a buon mercatocheap offercibo a buon mercatocheap food

Synonyms

essere economicocostare pocoessere a buon prezzo

Antonyms

essere carocostare moltoessere di lusso

Related Phrases

fare un affarephrase
to get a good deal
spendere pocophrase
to spend little

💡Pro Tip

Avoid confusion with 'buon mercato' alone

The phrase 'a buon mercato' must be used with a verb like 'essere' or 'costare' to function correctly. 'Buon mercato' alone can sound unnatural unless it's part of a larger context.

⚡Gold Rule

Use with price-related verbs

Always pair 'a buon mercato' with verbs like 'essere', 'costare', 'vendere', or 'comprare' to convey the idea of being cheap.

📖Word Origin

The phrase combines 'essere' (to be) with 'buon mercato' (good market), where 'buon' is the masculine form of 'buono' (good) and 'mercato' means market. Historically, 'a buon mercato' referred to goods sold at a fair price in markets.

📝Usage Notes

Commonly used in everyday speech to describe affordable items or services. Avoid using it in formal contexts where precise pricing terms are required.

Word Breakdown

essere
to be
verb
+
a
at
preposition
+
buon
good
adjective
+
mercato
market
noun
Dizionario Italiano-Inglese

Learning Progress

Track your learning journey!

• Save words to build your vocabulary

• Monitor your daily streak

• Get personalized review reminders

• See words learned statistics

Log in to access advanced features and track your progress!

Go to Dashboard →

Recent Lookups

The most recent words being looked up. Stay up to date with what language learners are exploring.