How to say “with” and “without”: Italian grammar lesson 14

In this lesson, we’ll take a look at how to say “with” and “without” in Italian. Learn the grammar with simple rules, examples, and audio lessons.

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How to say “with” in Italian

In today’s short lesson, you’re going to learn how to say “with” in Italian.

It’s easy to remember since it only has 3 letters: “con”.

Like in English, we use this word when we want to talk about something or someone being accompanied by something or someone else.

Con: examples

Let’s have a look at some examples:

Vai a casa con tua sorella?

Are you going home with your sister?

Vieni con i tuoi genitori stasera?

Are you coming with your parents tonight?

Mi piace parlare con te.

I like talking with you.

Lei scrive sempre con la mano destra.

She always writes with her right hand.

Mangio un panino con il formaggio.

I’m eating a sandwich with cheese.

How to say with Italian

Col, coi

You might also hear the abbreviated versions of “con + il”, and “con + i”:

  • con + il: col
  • con + i: coi

Both options are correct. Sometimes, it’s just easier to say the shortened versions.

Have a look at the examples below:

Vado a casa col cane.

I’m going home with the dog.

Luigi vive ancora coi genitori.

Luigi still lives with his parents.

With in Italian

How to say “without” in Italian

In Italian, if we want to say “without”, we say senza. We recommend checking its pronunciation by just clicking on the word.

Unlike con, senza cannot be abbreviated.

Like in English, we use senza in Italian to indicate the absence or lack of something.

Interestingly, this word seems to come from the combination of the Latin words absentia (absence) and sine (without).

If you remember this, it might be easier for you to remember the word senza.

How to say without Italian

Senza: examples

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Let’s now look at some examples with senza:

È uscito senza ombrello.

He went out without an umbrella.

Non so cosa farei senza il suo aiuto.

I don’t know what I’d do without his help.

Non senza alcune riserve.

Not without some reservations.

Cosa farei senza di te?

What would I do without you?

Non posso stare senza di lei.

I can’t live without her.

Siamo rimasti senza zucchero.

We’ve run out of sugar. (Literally: We’re left without sugar.)

What does senza mean in Italian

With and without in Italian: key points

“With” is easy to remember, since it has just three letters: “con”.

We use this word when we want to talk about something or someone being accompanied by something or someone else.

If you want to make it even easier to say, you can use the abbreviated versions: col and coi.

If we want to talk about “without”, we’ll use the word “senza“.

Unlike “con“, “senza” cannot be abbreviated and we use it to indicate the absence or lack of something.

Still translating in your head? Wanna speak Italian for real? Check out Stefano's courses to think directly in Italian and become fluent fast!

FAQs on How to say “with” and “without”: Italian grammar lesson 14

How do you use Senza in Italian?

Senza can be followed by a verb in the infinitive or a noun (such as a person or a thing).

What is con Italian?

Con serves as a preposition, which means it specifies how one part of a sentence relates to another.

How do you use Col in Italian?

The abbreviation "col" may be used whenever appropriate, excluding words beginning with an S+consonant, GN, PN, SC, X, and Z.

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