The preposition DA in Italian
Remember, when followed by a definite article (il, lo, la, i, gli, le) and a noun, the preposition da joins onto the article, becoming one word.
These are called preposizioni articolate.
For the construction we will learn today, you must know these perfectly, so let’s review them:
Vado dal dottore.
I go to the doctor.
- da + la = dalla
Dalla is used with feminine singular nouns.
Vado dalla nonna.
I go to grandma’s place.
- da + i = dai
This is used with masculine plural nouns that start with a consonant.
Vado dai miei nonni.
I go to my grandparents’ place.
- da + gli = dagli
This is used with masculine plural nouns that start with a vowel or with “z”.
Vado dagli zii.
I go to my uncles’.
- da + le = dalle
Dalle is used with feminine plural nouns.
Vado dalle zie.
I go to my aunts’.
How to say “out of”
So, once you know all the forms you will be using, let’s see how to say “out of” or “because of” in Italian.
Here are some examples:
Mi sono addormentata dalla noia.
I fell asleep out of boredom.
Sto morendo dal caldo.
I am really hot. (Lit. I am dying because of the heat.)
As you can see in the examples above, in Italian we can explain the cause of something simply by using the preposition da and its derivates followed by a noun.
Trema dal freddo.
She is shivering out of the cold.
Ho pianto dalla rabbia.
I cried out of anger.
Other ways of saying “out of”
Of course, there are other ways of expressing the “cause” of something in Italian. So how do we know when to use the structure da+noun?
As you could see from the examples, this structure is mostly used with feelings and emotions that directly affect someone, like:
Sono quasi svenuta dalla paura.
I almost fainted because of the fright.
Si sta addormentando in piedi dalla stanchezza.
He’s falling asleep standing out of tiredness (because he’s really tired).
In other cases, to express a cause we can use other prepositions like per (for), per via di (due to), a causa di (because of), etc.
Sono triste per la sconfitta.
I am sad because of the defeat.
Non siamo andati per via della pioggia.
We did not go due to the rain.
Mi si è bloccato il telefono a causa del freddo.
My phone got stuck because of the cold.
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