Italian leans on a handful of small prepositions to link almost everything. First learn the core ones and how five of them fuse with the definite article — the mechanics behind every sentence. (Which one to choose when English is ambiguous comes in Prepositions II.)
The core prepositions
Eight prepositions cover most everyday needs: di (of / from-origin), a (to, at), da (from, at someone's), in (in, to — for regions & countries), su (on, about), con (with), per (for, through, in order to), and tra / fra (between, among; also 'in' for future time). tra and fra are interchangeable — pick whichever sounds better (say 'tra fratelli', not 'fra fratelli').
- il libro di MarcoMarco's book
- Vado a Roma con Anna.I'm going to Rome with Anna.
- Vengo da Milano.I come from Milan.
- Studio per imparare.I study in order to learn.
- Torno tra due ore.I'll be back in two hours.
Fill in the preposition (with):
Un caffè ___ latte.
Combining with the article
When di, a, da, in, or su are followed by a definite article, the two fuse into one word: a + il = al, di + la = della, in + i = nei, su + lo = sullo. Only these five fuse — con, per, tra and fra stay separate ('col' is heard occasionally, but 'con il' is always fine).
- Vado al mare.I'm going to the sea. (a + il)
- il libro della mammaMom's book (di + la)
- Le chiavi sono nel cassetto.The keys are in the drawer. (in + il)
| il | lo | la | l' | i | gli | le | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| di | del | dello | della | dell' | dei | degli | delle |
| a | al | allo | alla | all' | ai | agli | alle |
| da | dal | dallo | dalla | dall' | dai | dagli | dalle |
| in | nel | nello | nella | nell' | nei | negli | nelle |
| su | sul | sullo | sulla | sull' | sui | sugli | sulle |
con, per, tra, fra do not fuse with the article.
Combine: a + il
a + il = ___
a vs in for places (first look)
For where you are or where you're going, Italian splits by the kind of place: use a with cities and towns, and in with countries, regions, and continents. (The fuller story — buildings, transport, time — is in Prepositions II.)
- Vivo a Firenze.I live in Florence. (city)
- Vivo in Italia.I live in Italy. (country)
- Vado a Napoli, in Campania.I'm going to Naples, in Campania.
Fill in a or in:
Abito ___ Roma.
Hint: Roma is a city.
Watch out
Three errors English speakers make early: (1) forgetting to fuse — it's 'al cinema', never 'a il cinema'. (2) Using 'a' for countries — it's 'in Italia', not 'a Italia'. (3) Reaching for 'per' to mean 'to a place' — motion toward is a / in, while per is 'for' or 'heading through' ('parto per Roma' = I'm leaving for Rome).
- Vado al cinema.I'm going to the cinema. (not 'a il cinema')
- Sono in Italia.I'm in Italy. (not 'a Italia')
Which is correct?