Italian 2.1. Prepositions

Level I 1. Alphabet & Pronunciation 1.1. Vowels 1.2. Syllable Stress 2. Similarities to English 2.1. Negation, Punctuation, & Written Accents 3. Gender & Plural 4. Cardinal Numbers 5. Subject Personal Pronouns 6. Present Indicative Tense I 7. The Articles 8. Interrogative Pronouns & Adjectives Level II 1. Prepositions 2. Present Indicative Tense II – Irregular Verbs 3. Possessive Adjectives & Pronouns 4. Demonstrative Pronouns & Adjectives 5. Object Personal Pronouns 6. Relative Pronouns 7. Ordinal Numbers I 8. Basic Phrases 9. Times & Seasons Level III 1. Verbs like “Piacere” 2. Present Perfect Tense 3. The Verb “To Know”: “Sapere” vs. “Conoscere” 4. Indefinite Adjectives & Pronouns 5. Conjunctions 6. Simple Future Tense 7. Telling Time & Describing Weather 8. Adverbs 8.1. Other Adverbs & Adverbial Phrases 9. Directions Level IV 1. Degrees of Comparison: Comparatives & Superlatives 2. Partitives 3. Reflexive Pronouns & Verbs 4. Expressions Using “Avere” & “Fare” 5. Present Subjunctive Tense I 6. Present Progressive Tense 7. Future Perfect Tense 8. Interjections Level V 1. The Pronouns “Ci” & “Ne” 2. Past Absolute Tense 3. Imperative Mood & Giving Commands 4. The Conditional Tenses 5. Present Subjunctive Tense 6. Present Perfect Subjunctive Tense 7. Imperfect Indicative Tense 8. Past & Conditional Progressive Tenses Level VI 1. Ordinal Numbers II 2. The Past Infinitive 3. Imperfect Subjunctive Tense 4. Pluperfect Indicative Tense 5. Pluperfect Subjunctive Tense 6. Passive Voice & Impersonal “Si” 7. Idiomatic Pronominal Verbs 8. Diminutives & Augmentatives
learn-romance-languages-at-the same-time-book-cover

Learn & Retain SP, PT, IT, & FR with Spaced Repetition

600+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
book-cover-learn-and-retain-spanish-with-spaced-repetition-5000-anki-notes-flashcards

Learn & Retain Spanish with Spaced Repetition

5,000+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
italiano-book-cover

Learn & Retain Italian with Spaced Repetition

700+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
ebook-cover-french-speaced-repetition

Learn & Retain French with Spaced Repetition

700+ Anki Notes for Level I with Vocabulary, Grammar, & Audio Pronunciation

Buy Now
Free Lessons – Study Now
Spanish Lessons to learn Spanish with Anki flashcards decks
Portuguese Lessons
Italian Lessons  to learn Italian with Anki flashcards decks
French Lessons  to learn French with Anki flashcards decks

Prepositions are essential in the constructions of sentences in any language including Italian.

List of Prepositions in Italian

Here are some of the most used prepositions in Italian with the most common meanings in different contexts.

Prep.MeaningExamples
atoVado a scuola la mattina.I go to school in the morning.
atFinirò a mezzogiorno.I will finish at noon.
byFatto a mano.Made by hand (handmade).
inVivo a Roma.I live in Rome.
onTornerò a casa a piedi.I will come back home on foot.
perCosta 20 dollari a notte.It costs 20 dollars per night.
accanto abeside
next to
C’è un gatto accanto alla sedia.There is a cat beside the chair.
attraversoacross
through
È possibile nuotare attraverso il fiume.It is possible to swim across the river.
conwithParla con il suo amico.He speaks with his friend.
controagainstSono contro l’ingiustizia.I am against injustice.           
dafromHo viaggiato da Londra alla Corea.I traveled from London to Korea.
sinceNon fumo da aprile.I haven’t smoked since April.
forNon fumo da due anni.I haven’t smoked for two years.
as (a)Da bambino, ero timido.As a kid, I was shy.
byÈ stato dipinto da Bosch.It was painted by Bosch.
davanti a
di fronte a
in front ofSono davanti alla scuola.I am in front of the school.
dentroinsideLa palla è dentro la scatola.The ball is inside the box.
diofIl colore di quella macchina è blu.The color of that car is blue.
fromLei è di Madrid.She is from Madrid.
aboutParlano di lui.They talk about him.
dietrobehindL’albero è dietro la casa.The tree is behind the house.
dopoafterHo dormito dopo pranzo oggi.I slept after lunch today.
duranteduringPossiamo uscire durante il giorno.We can go out during the day.
fino auntilHo lavorato fino a mezzanotte.I worked until midnight.
as far asLa luce arriva fino al parco.The light reaches as far as the park.
fuori dioutsideIl garage è fuori dal centro commerciale.The garage is outside the shopping mall.
ininVivo in Italia.   I live in Italy.
toAndrò in Italia.I will go to Italy.
lungoalongCi sono case lungo il lago.There are houses along the lake.
perfor (duration)Lavorerò lì per due anni.I will work there for two years.
for (destination)Domani partirò per Barcellona.I will leave for Barcelona tomorrow
byTi ho contattato per telefono.I contacted you by phone.
because ofSoffrivano per la mancanza d’acqua.They suffered because of the lack of water.
in order toStudiamo per imparare.We study in order to learn.
prima dibeforeTi chiamo prima di partire.I will call you before leaving.
secondoaccording toSecondo la legge, è vietato.According to the law, it is prohibited.
senzawithoutUn pesce non può vivere senza acqua.A fish can’t live without water.
sopraabove
over
on top of
La mosca è sopra il tavolo.The fly is above the table.
sottounderIl gatto è sotto la sedia.   The cat is under the chair.
suonLa chiave è sul tavolo.The key is on the table.
aboutIl dibattito su quell’incidente è finito.The debate about that incident is over.
tra
fra
betweenL’uccello è bloccato tra i rami.The bird is stuck between the branches.
amongSono il più alto tra i miei amici.I am the tallest among my friends.
inPartiremo tra una settimana.We will leave in a week.
versotowardCorse verso l’uscita.She ran toward the exit.
vicino anearVivo vicino alla città.I live near the city.

Contraction of Prepositions with the Definite Article

The prepositions “a,” “da,” “di,” “in,” and “su” contract when followed by a definite article.

Remember that there are seven definite articles in Italian: “l’,” “lo,” “il,” “la,” “i,” “gli,” and “le.”

This results in the following possible combinations of prepositions in Italian:

 l’loillaiglile
aall’alloalallaaiaglialle
dadall’dallodaldalladaidaglidalle
didell’dellodeldelladeideglidelle
innell’nellonelnellaneineglinelle
susull’sullosulsullasuisuglisulle

Although optional, you may also use or encounter the following three contractions of the preposition “con(with), especially in spoken Italian:

 illal’
concolcollacoll’

Other prepositions in Italian do not contract.

Examples

Contractions add to the complexity of the prepositions in Italian. Practice is your best approach to learn them. Here are some examples:

a+lo=alloVerrò con te allo stadio.I’ll go with you to the stadium.
da +il=dalVoglio imparare dal libro.I want to learn from the book.
di+la=dellaIl colore della macchina è blu.The color of the car is blue.
in+l’=nell’La valigia è nell’armadio.The suitcase is in the wardrobe.
su+gli=sugliC’è molta polvere sugli occhiali.There is a lot of dust on the glasses.

Dropping the Definite Article in Common Expressions

The definite article is dropped from some expressions that are commonly used in daily life such as: “a casa(at home), “in macchina(by car), “in centro(in downtown), etc.

a

The preposition “a” is used to mean “in” when referring to the proper name of a city (or a smaller area), e.g., “Vivo a Roma(I live in Rome).

For larger areas, we use the preposition “in,” e.g., “Vivo in California(I live in California), “L’ho visto in Spagna(I saw it in Spain).

in

The preposition “in” generally means “in” in English.

However, when referring to a destination that is larger than a city, the preposition “in” can also be translated as “to, e.g., “Andrò in California(I will go to California), “Ho viaggiato in Spagna(I traveled to Spain).

Da

The preposition “da” can have several meanings:

1. The basic meaning of “from” in English with its versatile use to indicate the starting point of a movement, source or origin, separation, etc.

For example:

Ho viaggiato da Londra alla Corea.I traveled from London to Korea.
Vengo da Firenze.I come (am) from Florence.
Separa l’acqua da questa miscela.Separate the water from this mixture.

2. The equivalent of “since” or “for” in time expressions that typically use the present perfect or present perfect continuous tense in English.

For example:

Non fumo da aprile.I haven’t smoked since April.
Non fumo da due anni.I haven’t smoked for two years.

Notice that, in Italian, the present tense is used before “da” to convey the equivalent meaning in English.

Keep in mind that to describe a defined duration in the future, the preposition “per” must be used instead. For example:

Lavoro lì da due anni.I have worked there for two years.
Lavorerò lì per due anni.I will work there for two years.

3. The equivalent of “to” or “for” when used to indicate purpose or reason.

For example:

Qualcosa da bereSomething to drink
Una casa da vendereA house for sale

4. The meaning of being at someone’s house or workplace. In this context, “da” is often translated as “at, but can also mean “to” if preceded by the verb “go.

For example:

Siamo da Marco.We are at Marco’s place.
Domani vado dal dentista.I will go to the dentist tomorrow.

5. The meaning of the preposition “by” in English, referring to an agent in the passive voice.

For example:

Un software sviluppato da Microsoft.A software developed by Microsoft.
Dipinto da un artista anonimo.Painted by an anonymous artist.

6. The expression “as (a) …” in English.

For example:

Te lo dico da amico.I tell you as a friend.
Da bambini, ci divertivamo molto.As kids, we had a lot of fun.

Expressing the Meaning of “about” in Italian

To express the meaning of “about (e.g., to talk about someone or watch a documentary about something), we often use “su” or “circa.” For example:

Ho visto un documentario su quella guerra.I watched a documentary about that war.
Ho letto un libro circa la vita in Giappone.I read a book about life in Japan.

In some contexts, we could use “di” to mean “about. For example:

Parlano di lui.They talk about him.
Voglio leggere un libro di scienze.I want to read a book about science.

The Prepositions “Tra” & “Fra

The preposition “tra” or “fra” often means “between.

If used to indicate the future, it can mean “in, as in: “Ci vediamo tra un mese(See you in a month).

Next: Present Indicative Tense II: Irregular Verbs

Back to: Italian Lessons

Other lessons in Level II: