Prepositions – with and from: Italian grammar lesson 180

Prepositions are those short words that let us link ideas. They are very important and easy to remember. In today’s lesson, we’re going to focus on two of these two Italian prepositions: con and da. Let’s learn grammar with simple rules and examples and practice with audio lessons.

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Prepositions

Con

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Prepositions

Some common prepositions are di, a, da, in, con, su, per, and tra, fra (= of, to, from, in, with, on, for, between, in).

Sometimes, we find them together with the following articles: il, lo, la, i, gli, and le (they all mean “the” but change depending on the gender and number of what/who they refer to).

Con

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Con has three meanings: with, by means of, and through. As we said earlier, con might be followed by an article.

Usually, the article is not linked to the preposition con. However, there are two cases where they appear together: con + il becomes col, and con + i becomes coi.

This rule is not obligatory, so sometimes people don’t link these two short words.

Have a look at the following examples:

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.

Con determinazione, è riuscito a passare l’ultimo esame.

Through determination, he managed to pass his final exam.

Ha spiegato un esercizio con un esempio.

She explained an exercise by means of an example.

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Da

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Da has the following meanings: from, from this moment on, around, through, over, and to. Da can stand on its own if it’s not followed by the article meaning “the.”

However, unlike con, da is always linked to the articles and this rule is obligatory.

Here are the combinations:

da + il: dal
da + l’: dall‘
da + la: dalla
da + lo: dallo
da + i: dai
da + le: dalle
da + gli: dagli

And here are some examples:

Non vedo niente da qua.

I cannot see anything from here.

Da oggi sono a dieta.

I’m on a diet from today.

Abito da quella parte.

I live around there.

Non si puo passare da quella strada.

You cannot go through that street.

Vieni da me?

Are you coming to mine?

Cosa guardi dalla finestra?

What are you looking at from the window?

Dall‘albergo vedo le montagne.

I can see the mountains from the hotel.

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FAQs on Prepositions – with and from: Italian grammar lesson 180

How do you use the preposition da in Italian?

The word "da" can be used independently if it is not preceded by the definite article "the". However, when "da" is used, it must be accompanied by an article, and this is a mandatory rule.

What are the meanings of DA in Italian?

The Italian preposition da is an important part of the language and is used in a variety of contexts. It is typically translated into the English prepositions "from" and "by" and is used to link Italian nouns together. Additionally, it is used in phrases that express time and is also essential for many common expressions.

How do you use con in Italian?

The Italian preposition "con" translates to "with" and typically remains the same when paired with an article. For example, you would say "con il" or "con la".