“Out of” in Italian
Let me start by telling you that “out” in Italian is translated as fuori. However, this word is used in one context only to translate the expression “out of” in Italian.
In fact, this phrase can be translated in several different ways depending on the context in which it is used. It can be used to:
- indicate a physical position outside of something, as in “out of the house” (fuori da casa)
- to express what something is made of, as in “made out of wood” (fatto di legno)
- indicate a selection or proportion, as in “one out of five” (uno su cinque)
- express the cause of a certain result, as in “I fell asleep out of boredom” (mi sono addormentato dalla noia).
As you can see, depending on the meaning you want to convey, you need to use one or another preposition. Let me guide you through these different meanings, uses, and grammatical rules.
How to say “out of” in Italian?
Physical Position
When “out of” indicates a physical position outside of something, the Italian equivalent is fuori da. In this context, you need to know how to use the preposition da, specifically the preposition da with places.
In fact, this phrase is used to convey the idea of being outside a place, as in the following example:
La verdura sta fuori dal frigorifero.
The vegetables are out of the fridge.
As you can see, when the preposition da is followed by a definite article, you must combine them together and create preposizione articolata, as you can see below.
| da + il | dal |
| da + lo | dallo (dall’) |
| da + la | dalla (dall’) |
| da + i | dai |
| da + gli | dagli |
| da + le | dalle |
Notice that, when the context already clearly implies an outside location or when there is no need to specify the exact place, fuori is preferred to be used without the preposition da .
This is more often used in informal conversations. For example, saying sono fuori casa (I am out of the house) sounds better than sono fuori da casa, because it conveys being away from home, without emphasizing the precise area outside the house.
Other fixed expressions that show the same behavior are fuori città (out of town) or fuori scuola (out of the school), as they indicate that someone is not present in that particular place without adding further details.
Material
To express what something is made of, “out of” is translated with fatto di in Italian, where fatto is the past participle of the verb fare, literally corresponding to the expression “made of”.
For instance:
Questo tavolo è fatto di legno.
This table is made out of wood.
Proportion
When it is used to indicate a selection, fraction, or proportion, the Italian expression makes use of the preposition su. It is very useful to express statistical information, probabilities, or any scenario where a part is selected from a whole.
For this very reason, this use of “one out” is commonly used in combination with the pronoun ne, as this is used to substitute for nouns that convey a part of a whole.
For example:
Una persona su cinque non sa nuotare.
A person out of five cannot swim.
Cause
The expression “out of” can be translated as da also when it expressed the cause of a particular result. In this context, this preposition suggests the reason behind the action.
Of course, remember to take into account possible combinations with definite articles!
Sto morendo dal caldo.
I am dying because of the heat.
Ho pianto dalla rabbia.
I cried out of anger.
This use is conceptually very similar to saying “because of“, as it explains the cause of an event.
