Italian Prepositions
As many other languages, Italian makes use of prepositions. These are small words full of meaning that are typically used to link the verb to the object.
Italian prepositions are: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, and tra/fra. They can respectively be translated as: of, to, from, in, with, on, for, between, in. However, depending on the context they might have other meanings.
What makes them tricky for language students, is that prepositions are not used in the same ways in all languages. Therefore, it makes it essential for Italian learners to understand their proper contextual use.
Prepositions to Express Means
The Preposition “Con”
Con has three main meanings: with, by means of, and through. It is typically used to express either company or means by which something is performed, just like the English “with”.
Vengo con te.
I’m coming with you.
Stasera esco con il/col mio migliore amico.
Tonight I’m going out with my best friend.
Vanno in Francia con i/coi bambini.
They’re going to France with the children
Non riuscirai a mangiare la zuppa con la forchetta.
You won’t be able to eat soup with the fork.
Ha tagliato il foglio con le forbici.
S/he cut the paper sheet with the scissors.
However, this preposition in Italian is also used to express:
- means of transport by which one moves
- cause of an event, with the meaning of grazie a or a causa di (thanks to or because of)
Let me show you some examples to contextualize them.
Vado sempre a lavoro con la macchina.
I always go to work by car.
While in English we use the preposition “by”, in Italian we use con, to express the means of transport we use to get somewhere. When used this way, the preposition con can also be replaced by the preposition in.
Vado sempre a lavoro in macchina.
I always go to work by car.
The second way we can use this preposition to express means is to introduce the cause of an event, like in the following example:
Ha ottenuto il successo con la sua determinazione.
He achieved success through his determination.
As you can see, here the preposition con is used to mean “thanks to”.
You might also have noticed that, unlike other prepositions, when con is followed by a definite article, it does not always form a preposizione articolata. In fact, there are only two cases where this occurs:
- con + il = col
- con + i = coi
This rule is not mandatory: some people choose to use them and some others don’t. I personally do, because I like it!
The opposite of con is senza (without). Its use is very easy, but it changes depending on what follows it. Therefore, make sure you know how to say with and without in Italian!
The Preposition “Da”
Da can be translated as: by, from, since, through, over, and to someone. As you can see, it can be used in several different contexts, therefore it is important that you learn how to use the preposition da.
Here I will focus on its use to introduce means, specifically in the following two cases:
- to express by what something occurs
- to express the cause of an event
Ho riconosciuto Dario dalla sua voce.
I recognized Dario by his voice.
Here, we use da to say what allowed me to recognize Dario, therefore the means by which I recognized him.
Non riesco a dormire dalla fame.
I cannot sleep because of the hunger.
Here, da introduces the cause of me not managing to sleep.
Remember that, unlike con, da follows the typical prepositions rule of becoming preposizione articolata when followed by a definite article. As a consequence, you can either find it standing alone, or transforming into one of the following forms:
| il | l’ | lo | la | i | gli | le | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| da | dal | dall’ | dallo | dalla | dai | dagli | dalle |
