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All on their own, prepositions can be a pain in the butt. (That’s why I created the 7-Week Italian Prepositions Challenge. I needed to learn too!)
This is especially when you’re at an upper intermediate level, and you think you’re getting the hang of Italian and THE ONLY THING THAT KEEPS MESSING YOU UP IS PREPOSITIONS.
(No personal experience or anything. No. I’m not yelling.)
COMUNQUE. There are two main kinds of prepositions – simple prepositions and articulated prepositions.
Not sure what comunque means? Read this article: Italian Speed Dates – Appena, Addirittura, Comunque and Quindi
Simple prepositions look like this:
— di – of, from, about, by, than
— a – to, at, in
— da – from, by
— in – in, at
— con – with
— su – on/over/above/about
— per – for/in order to/because
— tra – between/among
— fra – between/among
The fact that they exist is pretty easy to understand. I mean, here are some of the situations when you use each one.
*The examples in English below are used in “Italian-speak” or what English would sound like if translated directly from Italian to English. This is to help you turn off that inner translator constantly working in your head. Once this happens, you can start focusing on creating natural sounding Italian sentences.
di – of, about, from, by, than
— To show possession of an object (This is the purse OF Giulia – Questa è la borsa di Giulia.)
— To show where someone is from (Giulia is OF Verona. – Giulia è di Verona.)
— To express who/what someone is talking about (She was talking OF Giuseppe. – Parlava di Giuseppe)
— To talk about age (I have a son OF thirteen years. – Ho un figlio di tredici anni.)
— To describe an object/person (It’s a coin OF gold. – È una moneta d’oro.)
a – to, at, in
— To talk about a location (IN Verona, AT home – a Verona, a casa)
— To talk about how someone is thinking of another (I am thinking TO him. – Penso a lui.)
— To talk about a certain time (I am meeting her AT noon. – La vedo a mezzogiorno.)
— To describe movement (She went there IN foot. – È andata a piedi.)
da – from, by
— To talk about a distance that was taken, like a trip (Maria left FROM Rome yesterday. – Maria è partita da Roma ieri.)
— To talk about taking something from something (She took her wallet FROM her purse. – Ha tolto il portafoglio dalla borsa.)
— To talk about a time period that’s passed (From years (ago) – Da anni)
CPF: You can also use “Da” to talk about someone’s home. So if you wanted to say Lucia’s house, you would say “Da Lucia.”
in – in, at
— To talk about location in a larger area, like a state or country (She lives IN California, He lives IN Germany – Lei abita in California, Lui abita in Germania)
— To talk about a place where someone is going (I’m going IN the library – Vado in biblioteca.)
— To talk about a type of transportation (You’re going IN train? – Vai in treno?)
con – with
— To talk about being with someone (I am WITH my grandma. – Sono con mia nonna.)
— To talk about a combination of things (I am eating pizza WITH the pumpkin. – Mangio la pizza con i fiori di zucca.)
— To describe a person’s behavior (He is very nice WITH me. – Lui è molto gentile con me.)
su – on, over, above, about
— To talk about a topic (I am reading a book on Italian History – Sto leggendo un libro SULLA storia italiana)
— To talk about a location (He is ON the roof. – Lui è sul tetto.)
per – for, in order to, because
— To talk about a length of time (a period of time that’s now over. Otherwise you would use DA.) (I’ve been reading this book FOR two days. – Sto leggendo questo libro DA due giorni.)
Example with PER: {I have lived in Italy for 2 years [meaning you are not there anymore]} = Ho vissuto in Italia PER due anni.
or: {I have been living in Italy for 2 years [meaning you are still living there} = Vivo in Italia DA due anni.
— To talk about a reason/purpose (I’m going to school FOR my parents. – Vado a scuola per i miei.)
— To talk about going somewhere (I want to leave for England/my holidays. – Mi piacerebbe partire per l’Inghilterra/per le vacanze.)
— To talk about price (I bought a kilo of oranges FOR three euro. – Ho comprato un chilo di arance PER tre euro.)
tra – between, among
fra – between, among
— To talk about a time period (I finish school BETWEEN a year. – Finisco la scuola fra un’anno.)
— To talk about a comparison (AMONG everyone, Theresa is the nicest. – Fra tutti, la più simpatica è Theresa.)
— To talk about a location (Walk BETWEEN the trees. – Passeggiare tra gli alberi.)
Understanding the basics first is a must, and I’ll be sure to write some more article about the nuances and the fun {read: not fun} exceptions with prepositions.
For a more in-depth education, check out the 7-Week Italian Prepositions Challenge.
Any questions for now? Drop ‘em in the comments below.
