What does con mean in Italian?

Con means with. It marks company (con gli amici), a tool (con il coltello), the way something is done (con calma), a feature (una camera con bagno), and circumstances (con questo caldo, in this heat).

Does con combine with the article?

Not in modern standard Italian: you write con il, con la, con gli as two words. Col and coi are still common in speech and are correct, but forms such as colla and collo are old-fashioned.

How do you say with me in Italian?

Con me. After any preposition, Italian uses the stressed pronouns: con me, con te, con lui, con lei, con Lei, con noi, con voi, con loro. Never con io or con tu.

When does English with not translate as con?

With full of, filled with, and covered with, Italian uses di: pieno di acqua, coperto di neve. Some verbs also differ from English: to meet with someone is simply incontrare qualcuno, with no preposition.

How do you say by car or by train in Italian?

The most common pattern is in with no article: in macchina, in treno, in aereo, in autobus. Con plus the article is also used: con la macchina, con il treno. On foot is a piedi.

Italian grammar · Beginner

Con in Italian

Written by Parrot Italian Team, Italian Curriculum Editors · Reviewed October 2026

Con is the Italian preposition for with: company (con gli amici), the tool you use (con il coltello), the way something is done (con calma), and what something comes with (un panino con il formaggio). In modern standard Italian it does not fuse with the article, so you write con il, con la, con gli, although col and coi are still common in speech.

Vado al cinema con Giulia.

I'm going to the cinema with Giulia.

What it is

Con matches English with closely: you go out with someone, cut with a knife, wait with patience. Two differences catch English speakers. Italian often uses con plus a noun where English uses an adverb in -ly (con attenzione, carefully), and things that are filled or covered with something take di, not con (pieno di acqua, coperto di neve).

Esco con Marta (I'm going out with Marta), scrivo con la penna (I write with a pen), lavora con attenzione (he works carefully).

How to spot it

If English has with, try con first. Then check two traps: filled with and covered with take di, and an English adverb in -ly may turn into con plus a noun.

Vivo con due amici. (I live with two friends.)
Mangio la pizza con le mani. (I eat pizza with my hands.)
Guida con prudenza. (She drives carefully.)
Vorrei un caffè con un po' di latte. (I'd like a coffee with a little milk.)

Con does not fuse in modern standard Italian. Col (con + il) and coi (con + i) survive in speech and some writing, but forms such as collo, colla, and colle are old-fashioned. Con il and con i are always correct.

Con Quick Reference

The main uses of con

Use	Example	Translation
Company	Esco con i colleghi.	I'm going out with my colleagues.
Tool or instrument	Taglia il pane con il coltello.	Cut the bread with the knife.
Manner	Parla con calma, per favore.	Speak calmly, please.
Feature	una camera con bagno	a room with a bathroom
Ingredient	un panino con il prosciutto	a ham sandwich
Means of transport	Vado al lavoro con la macchina.	I go to work by car.
Relationship verbs	Ho litigato con mio fratello.	I argued with my brother.
Circumstance	Con questo caldo non esco.	In this heat I'm not going out.
Despite	Con tutti i suoi difetti, è una brava persona.	For all his faults, he's a good person.

Common Con Examples in Italian

Con across its main uses:

Company

Stasera ceno con i miei genitori.: Tonight I'm having dinner with my parents.
Vieni con noi?: Are you coming with us?

With a pronoun, con takes the stressed form: con me, con te, con noi.

Tools and Means

Pago con la carta.: I'll pay by card.
Scrivi con la matita, non con la penna.: Write in pencil, not in pen.

English switches between with, by, and in here. Italian uses con for all of them.

Manner

Ascoltava con attenzione.: She was listening carefully.
L'ho fatto con piacere.: I was happy to do it.

Con plus an abstract noun often replaces an English adverb: con cura, con pazienza, con calma.

Description

Cerco un appartamento con due camere da letto.: I'm looking for a flat with two bedrooms.
la ragazza con gli occhiali: the girl with glasses

Con describes what something has or comes with, just like English with.

How Con Works

Five habits explain almost every appearance of con in a sentence.

Con Stays Separate From the Article

Unlike di, a, da, in, and su, con is written apart from the definite article in modern standard Italian: con il, con lo, con l', con la, con i, con gli, con le. In speech you will also hear col and coi.

Parlo con il professore e con gli studenti.

I'm talking with the teacher and with the students.

con il, con gli: two words.

Con Plus a Noun Often Replaces an Adverb

Where English uses an adverb in -ly, Italian often uses con plus a noun: con cura (carefully), con attenzione (attentively), con pazienza (patiently).

Apri la scatola con cura.

Open the box carefully.

carefully = con cura.

Filled With and Covered With Take Di

English uses with after full, filled, and covered. Italian uses di: pieno di, riempito di, coperto di. Using con here is one of the most common English-speaker errors.

La strada era coperta di neve.

The road was covered with snow.

pieno di, coperto di.

Con Plus a Pronoun Uses the Stressed Form

After con, and after every other preposition, the pronoun takes its stressed form: me, te, lui, lei, Lei, noi, voi, loro.

Vuoi venire con me?

Do you want to come with me?

con me, con te, con lui.

Body Parts Take the Article

With parts of the body, Italian uses the definite article where English uses a possessive. Con le mie mani sounds like with my own hands, an emphasis you rarely mean.

Scrive con la mano sinistra.

She writes with her left hand.

con la mano, not con la mia mano.

Common Mistakes with Con

Incorrect: Il bicchiere è pieno con acqua. (The glass is full of water.)

Correct: Il bicchiere è pieno d'acqua. (The glass is full of water.)

Pieno always takes di, never con. The same is true for coperto (covered) and riempito (filled).

Incorrect: Vieni con io? (Are you coming with me?)

Correct: Vieni con me? (Are you coming with me?)

After a preposition, Italian uses the stressed pronoun: me, te, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro. Io and tu are subject forms only.

Incorrect: Ho sposato con Marco. (I married Marco.)

Correct: Mi sono sposata con Marco. (I married Marco.)

Use either sposare with a direct object (ho sposato Marco) or the reflexive sposarsi with con (mi sono sposata con Marco). Sposare plus con is not correct.

Incorrect: Mangio la pizza con le mie mani. (I eat pizza with my hands.)

Correct: Mangio la pizza con le mani. (I eat pizza with my hands.)

With body parts, Italian uses the article, not a possessive. The possessive version sounds like with my own hands.

Fixed Expressions With Con

These phrases are built on con and work as single units. Learn them whole.

Everyday phrases

Several common phrases use con plus a noun: con calma (take your time), con piacere (with pleasure), con permesso (excuse me, may I), con comodo (at your convenience).

Fai con calma.: Take your time.
Verrei con piacere.: I'd love to come.
Con permesso, posso passare?: Excuse me, can I get past?

Permesso on its own is also very common when you need to get past someone.

Verbs that take con

Many verbs of relationship and conversation take con: parlare con, litigare con, uscire con, sposarsi con, arrabbiarsi con.

Si è sposata con un medico.: She married a doctor.
Non arrabbiarti con me.: Don't get angry with me.
Esci ancora con Paolo?: Are you still going out with Paolo?

English marry has no preposition, but sposarsi con does. Sposare also exists, with a direct object: ha sposato un medico.

Col and coi in speech

Col (con + il) and coi (con + i) are still common in conversation and informal writing. They are correct, but con il and con i are the neutral written choice.

Ho parlato col direttore.: I spoke to the manager.
Esce coi suoi amici.: He's going out with his friends.

Avoid the other fused forms (collo, colla, colle, cogli): they sound old-fashioned today.

Quick Check: Con

Fill each gap with con, di, or the correct pronoun.

1. Vado in vacanza ___ i miei amici.

Answer: con

company

2. Vuoi venire con ___?

Answer: me

stressed pronoun after a preposition

3. La bottiglia è piena ___ vino.

Answer: di

pieno takes di, not con

4. Ho parlato ___ (con + il) direttore.

Answer: con il

col is also correct in speech

5. Apri la porta ___ cura.