Italian grammar · Beginner
Per in Italian
Per is the Italian preposition for for. It marks a recipient, a purpose, a finished length of time, a destination after partire, movement through a place, and a cause, and before an infinitive it means in order to. It does not fuse with the article in modern standard Italian, and it cannot express time that is still going on: for that, Italian uses da.
Questo regalo è per te.
This present is for you.
What it is
Per covers most of the ground of English for: a recipient (per te), a purpose (per lavoro), a finished length of time (ho dormito per otto ore). Before an infinitive it means in order to (studio per imparare). It also expresses movement through a place (passeggiare per il centro), a destination after partire (parto per Roma), and a cause (per colpa tua, because of you).
Il caffè è per Sara (the coffee is for Sara), studio per l'esame (I'm studying for the exam), parto per Milano (I'm leaving for Milan).
How to spot it
Per is the safe first guess for English for, with one big exception: a period of time that is still going on. Lavoro qui da tre anni, not per tre anni.
- Ho comprato i fiori per mia madre. (I bought the flowers for my mother.)
- Studio l'italiano per lavoro. (I'm studying Italian for work.)
- Abbiamo camminato per due ore. (We walked for two hours.)
- Sono venuto per vederti. (I came to see you.)
Per does not fuse with the definite article in modern standard Italian: per il, per lo, per l', per la, per i, per gli, per le. Older forms such as pel and pei are archaic. With a length of time, per is often left out: ho dormito otto ore.
Per Quick Reference
The main uses of per
| Use | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Recipient | Questa lettera è per te. | This letter is for you. |
| Purpose with a noun | Sono qui per lavoro. | I'm here for work. |
| Purpose with an infinitive | Esco per comprare il pane. | I'm going out to buy bread. |
| Finished length of time | Ho vissuto a Roma per due anni. | I lived in Rome for two years. |
| Deadline | Lo finisco per lunedì. | I'll finish it by Monday. |
| Destination with partire | Domani parto per Londra. | I'm leaving for London tomorrow. |
| Movement through a place | Facciamo un giro per la città. | Let's take a walk around the city. |
| Means | Ti mando il documento per email. | I'll send you the document by email. |
| Cause | Il volo è stato cancellato per lo sciopero. | The flight was cancelled because of the strike. |
| Multiplication and percent | Tre per tre fa nove. Il dieci per cento. | Three times three is nine. Ten percent. |
Common Per Examples in Italian
Per across its main uses:
For Someone or Something
- C'è una telefonata per Lei, signora.
- There's a call for you, madam.
- Cosa mangiamo per cena?
- What are we having for dinner?
With a pronoun, per takes the stressed form: per me, per te, per Lei, per loro.
In Order To
- Mi alzo presto per evitare il traffico.
- I get up early to avoid the traffic.
- Ho chiamato per chiederti un favore.
- I called to ask you a favour.
English often uses a bare to here. Italian needs per before the infinitive.
Time
- Siamo rimasti in Sicilia per una settimana.
- We stayed in Sicily for a week.
- Ho bisogno del rapporto per domani.
- I need the report by tomorrow.
Per with time works only when the period is over or planned. For time still going on, use da.
Place and Movement
- Il treno per Firenze parte dal binario tre.
- The train for Florence leaves from platform three.
- Ho passeggiato per il centro.
- I walked around the centre.
- Passiamo per Bologna.
- We'll go through Bologna.
Per with a place means through or around it, or the destination of a train or a departure.
How Per Works
Five habits explain almost every appearance of per in a sentence.
Per Does Not Fuse With the Article
Unlike di, a, da, in, and su, per stays separate from the definite article in modern standard Italian. Write per il, per lo, per gli as two words. The fused forms pel and pei appear only in old texts.
Ho un regalo per il bambino e uno per gli zii.
I have a present for the little boy and one for my aunt and uncle.
per il, per gli: always two words.
Per Plus Infinitive Means In Order To
To give the reason for an action, use per plus an infinitive. English can say to or in order to; Italian uses per for both.
Studio per diventare medico.
I'm studying to become a doctor.
in order to = per + infinitive.
Finished Time Takes Per, Ongoing Time Takes Da
Per gives the length of a period that is complete, or one that is planned. If the action started in the past and is still going on, use the present tense plus da.
Ho studiato per tre ore.
I studied for three hours.
ho studiato per tre ore, studio da tre ore.
Partire Per, Andare A
With partire (to leave), the destination takes per: parto per Roma. With andare, a city takes a: vado a Roma. Trains and flights follow the partire pattern: il treno per Roma.
Domani partiamo per Venezia.
Tomorrow we're leaving for Venice.
partire per + place, andare a + city.
Per With a Cause
Per can give the reason something happened, much like English for or because of. Grazie per and grazie di both mean thank you for.
Grazie per l'aiuto.
Thanks for the help.
grazie per, per colpa di, per via di.
Common Mistakes with Per
Incorrect: Studio italiano per due anni. (I've been studying Italian for two years.)
Correct: Studio italiano da due anni. (I've been studying Italian for two years.)
For time that is still going on, Italian uses the present tense plus da. Per goes with finished or planned periods.
Incorrect: Ho aspettato per te. (I waited for you.)
Correct: Ti ho aspettato. (I waited for you.)
Aspettare already means to wait for, so it takes a direct object with no preposition.
Incorrect: Cerco per le chiavi. (I'm looking for the keys.)
Correct: Cerco le chiavi. (I'm looking for the keys.)
Cercare means to look for. Like aspettare, it takes a direct object, so the English for disappears.
Incorrect: Sono qui per imparo l'italiano. (I'm here to learn Italian.)
Correct: Sono qui per imparare l'italiano. (I'm here to learn Italian.)
After per, the verb is always an infinitive.
Fixed Expressions With Per
These phrases are built on per and work as single units. Learn them whole.
Everyday phrases
Some of the most common phrases in Italian use per: per favore (please), per esempio (for example), per fortuna (luckily), per caso (by any chance), per sempre (forever), per niente (not at all).
- Mi passi il pane, per favore?
- Can you pass me the bread, please?
- Per fortuna non pioveva.
- Luckily it wasn't raining.
- Hai visto Luca, per caso?
- Have you seen Luca, by any chance?
- Non mi piace per niente.
- I don't like it at all.
In a full sentence, per niente needs non before the verb: non mi piace per niente.
Stare per + infinitive
Stare per plus an infinitive means to be about to do something.
- Sto per uscire.
- I'm about to go out.
- Il film sta per cominciare.
- The film is about to start.
Stare is conjugated and per does not change: sto per, stai per, stiamo per.
Per with numbers and order
Per appears in percentages (per cento), in multiplication (due per tre), and in phrases about order: uno per volta (one at a time), per la prima volta (for the first time).
- Entrate uno per volta.
- Come in one at a time.
- L'ho visto per la prima volta ieri.
- I saw him for the first time yesterday.
Uno alla volta is an equally common alternative to uno per volta.
Quick Check: Per
Fill each gap with per, da, or nothing at all.
1. Questo pacco è ___ Maria.
Answer: per
recipient
2. Abito qui ___ cinque anni.
Answer: da
still living here, so present + da
3. Mi alzo presto ___ andare in palestra.
Answer: per
in order to = per + infinitive
4. Domani parto ___ Parigi.
Answer: per
partire per + destination
5. Ho aspettato ___ Marco per un'ora.
Answer: nothing (ho aspettato Marco per un'ora)
aspettare takes a direct object
Per FAQs
- What does per mean in Italian?
- Mainly for. It marks a recipient (per te), a purpose (per lavoro), a finished length of time (per due ore), a destination after partire (parto per Roma), movement through a place (per il centro), and a cause. Before an infinitive it means in order to.
- Does per combine with the article in Italian?
- No. In modern standard Italian you write per il, per la, per gli, and so on, as two words. The fused forms pel and pei exist only in older texts.
- Do you use per or da for time in Italian?
- Use per for a period that is finished or planned: ho lavorato lì per due anni. Use da with the present tense for an action that is still going on: lavoro qui da due anni. English uses for in both cases, which is why this is a common mistake.
- How do you say in order to in Italian?
- Use per plus an infinitive: studio per imparare (I study in order to learn), esco per comprare il pane (I'm going out to buy bread). After verbs of motion such as andare and venire, a plus an infinitive is also common: vado a comprare il pane.
- What does stare per mean in Italian?
- Stare per plus an infinitive means to be about to: sto per uscire (I'm about to go out), il treno sta per partire (the train is about to leave). Only stare changes; per and the infinitive stay the same.