Punto di partenza
You have already learned some prepositions
and prepositional contractions in Italian, such
as di to show possession and alle when
referring to time. Prepositions show the
relationship between two words in a sentence.
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Nico cammina per la
città.
Nico walks through the
city.
Il tre sta fra il due e il
quattro.
Three is between two and
four.
Il regalo è per il papà.
The present is for Dad.
Arriva fra tre mesi.
She will arrive in three
months.
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
Articulated prepositions, or preposizioni
articolate, are formed when certain
prepositions contract with a definite article.
a + il
al
in + la
nella
to the
to the
in
in the
the
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
As you have seen, di is used to express
possession.
Di can also be used to describe a person or
item,
while da reflects an item’s purpose.
il professore di spagnolo
the Spanish teacher
la partita di calcio
the soccer game
il costume da bagno
the bathing suit
(the suit for bathing)
la racchetta da tennis
the tennis racket
(the racket for tennis)
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
Di and da can both describe origin or
provenance, but their use depends on the
main verb in the sentence.
Sono di Roma.
I am from Rome.
Vengo da Firenze.
Arrivano da
Milano.
I come from Florence. They arrive from
Milan.
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
Use da + [noun] to mean at [a person’s] place or
home.
Andiamo dai miei genitori.
Studio da Cinzia oggi.
We’re going to my parents’ house. I’m studying at Cinzia’s
today.
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
Both a and in can express destination or
location. Use the articulated preposition when
the noun is modified.
nella bella Toscana
alla Roma di Pasolini
in beautiful Tuscany
in Pasolini’s Rome
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
In many cases, the use of a or in is idiomatic.
Note that many expressions with a or in do
not use the definite article.
a casa at home
al cinema at/to the movies
al mare at/to the beach/sea
a mezzanotte at midnight
a piedi on foot
a scuola at/to school
a tavola at the table
a letto in/to bed
a teatro at/to the theater
in autobus by bus
in bicicletta by bicycle
in macchina by car
in treno by train
in banca at/to the bank
in biblioteca at/to the library
in centro in town
in montagna in/to the mountains
in vacanza on vacation
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
Su has idiomatic uses as shown in the
following examples.
sul computer
on the computer
su Internet
sul giornale
online/on the Internet in the
newspaper
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
In contrast, use a for the radio, and a or in for
television.
C’è una bella canzone alla
radio.
There is a pretty song on the
radio.
Il fi lm è alla (in)
televisione.
The movie is on television.
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Circle the correct form of the preposition.
1. Il libro è (sul / sulle) tavolo.
2. Andiamo (ai / a) Roma l’anno prossimo.
3. Ci sono venti studenti (nella / negli) classe d’italiano.
4. Studiamo (per / per il) imparare bene.
5. Domani andiamo (da / da’) Elena per giocare a calcio.
6. Non c’è la nuova moglie (di / dello) zio.
7. Qual è la professione (dell’ / del) suocero di Gianni?
8. Fa sempre bel tempo (in / nei) Australia?
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