Italian grammar · Beginner
Italian Prepositions
Italian prepositions link words and show place, time, origin, and purpose. There are eight simple ones (di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra or fra), and five of them fuse with a following definite article to form articulated prepositions such as del, al, and nel.
What it is
Italian has eight simple prepositions: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, and tra (or fra). Each one covers several English prepositions, so you learn them by use, not by one translation. For example, in in Italian means in or to with countries, regions, and rooms, and by with means of transport: vivo in Italia, vado in ufficio, viaggio in treno. Five of the eight (di, a, da, in, su) fuse with a following definite article: a + il becomes al, and in + la becomes nella.
Vado a Roma, ma vivo in Toscana. (I'm going to Rome, but I live in Tuscany.) Cities take a, and regions and countries take in.
How to spot it
Start from the noun, not from the English preposition. Cities take a, countries and regions take in, and a person's home or workplace takes da. For origin, use di with essere and da with venire.
- Sono di Firenze. (I'm from Florence. (di: origin with essere))
- Vengo da Firenze. (I come from Florence. (da: origin with venire))
- Vado dal medico. (I'm going to the doctor's. (da: a person's place))
- Vado in Germania. (I'm going to Germany. (in: countries))
Con and per do not fuse with the article in modern standard Italian: con il treno, per la strada. Tra and fra mean the same thing, and speakers choose the one that sounds better: tra fratelli, fra tre giorni.
Prepositions Quick Reference
The simple Italian prepositions and their main meanings
| Preposition | Main meanings | Example |
|---|---|---|
| di | of, possession, material, origin with essere, about | Il libro di Marco. Sono di Roma. (Marco's book. I'm from Rome.) |
| a | to, at, in (with cities), clock time | Vado a Milano alle otto. (I'm going to Milan at eight.) |
| da | from, by, at or to a person's place, since or for (time) | Vado da Luca. Studio italiano da due anni. (I'm going to Luca's. I have been studying Italian for two years.) |
| in | in, to (with countries, regions, rooms), by (with transport) | Abito in Italia. Vado in treno. (I live in Italy. I go by train.) |
| con | with | Esco con gli amici. (I'm going out with my friends.) |
| su | on, onto, about (a topic) | Il gatto è sul tavolo. (The cat is on the table.) |
| per | for, through, in order to, toward a destination | Questo è per te. Parto per Roma. (This is for you. I'm leaving for Rome.) |
| tra / fra | between, among, in (time from now) | Arrivo tra un'ora. (I'll arrive in an hour.) |
| Articulated forms | di, a, da, in, su + definite article | di + il = del, a + il = al, da + il = dal, in + il = nel, su + il = sul |
All 7 prepositions lessons
Prepositions are short, frequent, and rarely translate one to one, so they take practice more than memorization. The first group has one lesson for each of the most common simple prepositions, with every use, the forms it takes with the article, and the fixed expressions built on it. The second group explains the articulated prepositions as a system, so that you can build del, allo, nell', and sui without a table.
Simple Prepositions
One lesson for each of di, a, da, su, con, and per, with all their meanings and the expressions that use them.
- Di: Di is the Italian preposition for of, and it also does the work of the English 's, says which city someone is from, names a material or a topic, and means than in comparisons. Before a definite article it fuses into del, dello, dell', della, dei, degli, or delle. Where English needs several different words, Italian often needs only di.
- Su: Su is the Italian preposition for on and onto, and it also means about a topic (un libro sull'arte), out of in ratios (tre su dieci), and around with approximate amounts. Before a definite article it fuses into sul, sullo, sull', sulla, sui, sugli, or sulle. Used on its own, su is also an adverb meaning up.
- A: A is the Italian preposition for to and at. It marks a destination, a location in a city, a time on the clock, and the person who receives something. Before a definite article it fuses into al, allo, all', alla, ai, agli, or alle, and before a word starting with a it often becomes ad.
- Da: Da is the Italian preposition for from, but it also means at or to someone's place, since or for with time that is still going on, by in the passive, and for in the sense of purpose (una tazza da tè). Before a definite article it fuses into dal, dallo, dall', dalla, dai, dagli, or dalle. Unlike di, da does not normally shorten before a vowel.
- Per: 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.
- Con: 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.
Articulated & Usage
How di, a, da, in, and su fuse with il, lo, la, i, gli, and le, and when Italian uses the fused form.
- Articulated Prepositions: Italian articulated prepositions (preposizioni articolate) are single words made when di, a, da, in, or su meets a definite article: di + il = del, a + la = alla, in + i = nei. English keeps of the and in the as two words, but Italian must fuse them. Con and per stay separate in modern standard Italian.
Prepositions FAQs
- What are the Italian prepositions?
- The simple prepositions are di (of), a (to, at), da (from, by), in (in, to), con (with), su (on), per (for), and tra or fra (between, among). Di, a, da, in, and su fuse with a following definite article, which gives forms such as del, alla, dagli, nel, and sulle.
- When do I use a and when do I use in for places?
- Use a with cities and small islands: vado a Napoli, abito a Capri. Use in with countries, regions, and large islands: vado in Campania, abito in Sicilia. Some everyday places have a fixed preposition to learn as a phrase: a casa, a scuola, but in ufficio, in banca.
- What are articulated prepositions in Italian?
- They are the fused forms of di, a, da, in, or su with a definite article. The form of the article decides the fused form, so a + lo becomes allo and in + lo becomes nello: il libro è nello zaino (the book is in the backpack). In running Italian, you never write di il or a il.
- What is the difference between di and da?
- Di shows possession, material, and origin with essere: la casa di Anna, sono di Milano. Da shows movement from a place, origin with venire, a person's place, and time since: vengo da Milano, vado da Anna, abito qui da maggio. Both can translate as from, so the verb next to them is your best guide.
- How do you say for and since with time in Italian?
- Use da with the present tense for an action that started in the past and still continues: studio italiano da tre mesi (I have been studying Italian for three months), lavoro qui dal 2020 (I have worked here since 2020). English uses the present perfect here, but Italian uses the present.