How to use “da” + article: Italian grammar lesson 246

What is da in Italian?

Da is a widely used Italian preposition. In this grammar note, we’re going to focus on a very specific aspect: when we’re talking about quality using da + an article.

We can describe something or someone in detail by giving information that is introduced by the prepositions dal, dalla, dall’, dai, dalle, and dagli.

Have a look at the example below:

How to use da + article in Italian?

Italian study time calculator

Are you in a hurry? Find out how long it will take you to reach your target level of Italian with my free calculator.

It only takes 3 minutes!

Just fill out this simple form to find your ideal study schedule and get on the right track.

I’ll create your free lifetime account to store your study plan so that you may review it at any time. I’ll take you to your dashboard where you’ll find all my free resources.

On your dashboard, you’ll get to take some of my courses for free. I’ll also send you my best offers and free resources by email. You may opt out at any time.

Yes, all this is free for you!

   

Your language skills

How would you rate your skills in your native language?*

I keep my sentences simple; my vocabulary is limited

I can communicate effectively in my daily life, but I'm not comfortable with long or difficult texts

I'm confident speaking and writing about topics I'm familiar with; I can understand complex texts with some effort

I can write and speak correctly about various topics; I regularly read complex texts like newspaper articles

I can explain virtually anything in the right words; I can deal with very complex texts like scientific papers

How would you rate your skills in your native language? is required.

Were you raised bilingual (or more)?*

Were you raised bilingual (or more)? is required.

Have you ever reached an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language?*

Have you ever reached an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language? is required.

Do these languages include any language that is similar to Italian?*

Have you ever reached an intermediate proficiency in a foreign language? is required.

Namely French, Spanish, Portuguese, or Romanian.

How old are you?*

  < 1011 - 2021 - 3031 - 4041 - 5051 - 6061 - 7070 +

How old are you? is required.

Create a study schedule

Your current Italian level*BeginnerElementaryIntermediateUpper-intermediate

Your current Italian level is required.

Set the target level higher than your current one.

Elementary: Can communicate in simple and routine tasks.
Intermediate: Can deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling.
Upper-intermediate: Can interact regularly without strain with native speakers.

Your target Italian level*ElementaryIntermediateUpper-intermediateAdvanced

Your target Italian level is required.

Set the target level higher than your current one.

Deadline*

Deadline is required.

Based on your weekly time commitment, you need extra days to meet the deadline.

Example: your next trip to Italy.

Choose a study schedule*

Intensive 14 Hour/Weekly Commitment

Regular 7 Hour/Weekly Commitment

Free 5 Hours/Weekly Commitment

Deadline is required.

In order to meet your deadline, you need to commit extra hours/week.

Yes! If you follow the plan, you'll be speaking Italian at Advanced level by .

Intensive

In the intensive plan, you commit 2 hours per day.

Diversify your study activities to cover all the language skills that you need: speaking, listening, writing, and reading.

Even though you could argue that more your study, the faster you learn, I wouldn't recommend studying more than a couple of hours a day because the gain from extra time gradually gets smaller.

At the end of this form, you'll get a detailed weekly plan with all the study activites you need to reach your goal. 100% free!

Regular

Overcome your barriers in 3 minutes

What's holding you back from becoming fluent?
Find out with this free checklist!

FREE DOWNLOAD

Free Checklist

With a regular plan, you practice 1 hour a day, every day.

Taking 2 live 1-on-1 lessons per week with a qualified teacher or an experienced native tutor is a good pace to practice speaking and get feedback.

This plan is the closest to the one I follow myself and I can assure that you'll make steady progress.

At the end of this form, you'll get a detailed weekly plan with all the study activites you need to reach your goal. 100% free!

Free

There's plenty of free resources online to make the free plan viable.

You need to substitute paid 1-on-1 tutoring with language exchange with native speakers or find other venues to practice speaking. This can be time-consuming and you need to make up for lack of guidance with self-study.

At the end of this form, you'll get a detailed weekly plan with all the study activites you need to reach your goal. 100% free!

Get your results

You're almost there!

After you submit this form, you'll receive the results in your mailbox and will see the study schedule based on your level and the plan that you selected.

These questions below are not used to create your study plan, but I'd love to know more to make my service more relevant to you!

What's your reason for learning Italian? *

Hobby

Work

Study

Relatives / significant others

Travel

What's your reason for learning Italian? is required.

How long have you been studying Italian? *

Less than 1 month

1-2 months

3-5 months

6-12 months

1-2 years

More than 2 years

How long have you been studying Italian? is required.

What are you struggling with? *

I just don't know how to study a languageI'm embarrassed because I can't speakI'm frustrated because I'm wasting time and moneyI'm nervous because I make mistakesI fear that it's too late to startI regret that I don't have timeI feel discouraged because I can't travel or live in ItalyI fear that I'll forget after I quit studyingNothing, I'm confident in my abilities

What are you struggling with? is required.

Gender *

Male

Female

Other

Gender is required.

Your first name*

Your first name is required.

Email*

Email is required.

You'll receive the results together with my best free resources to learn faster. You may opt out at any time.

PreviousCreate a study schedule

1000s of happy learners on their way to fluency

Dal, dalla, dall’, dai, dalle, and dagli are prepositions that combine the preposition da + an article.

Da can be translated in different ways. It may mean from, by, to, for, or since.

We use da to show causes and where things or people come from.

For instance, Leonardo da Vinci was from Vinci. So, Vinci is not his surname, as some people might believe.

However, in this very specific case when we want to describe someone or something, dal, dalla, dall’, dai, dalle, and dagli simply mean with.

Free Guide

How to Learn Languages Fast

FREE DOWNLOAD

We use one or the others depending on the gender and noun of what we’re referring to. And since we’re describing something or someone, we’ll need an adjective at some point.

Here’s the structure: dal, dalla, dall’, dai, dalle, dagli + adjective + noun (or noun + adjective)

Let’s have a look at this example:

We could also say: La ragazza con i capelli lunghi è simpatica.

But since con mainly expresses the concept of participation or union, it’s preferable to use the combined prepositions in this specific case.

Da + article: Examples

Let’s now have a look at some more examples:

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