Which words do Italians say most in conversation?
It’s probably prepositions – those little words like in, a, di and da. You need them to talk about everything, including the really simple stuff, like where you live and where you’re from.
But they can be really annoying at times! They’re often quite different from English and don’t seem to follow any logic.
So in this lesson, we’ll show you an easier way to learn Italian prepositions. You’ll focus on the common uses that will help you feel confident doing everyday things in Italy. And learn how to avoid the mistakes that most learners make!
Italian prepositions and how to learn them
First, let’s see a quick list of the Italian prepositions – but don’t spend too long on this, we’ll explain why below!
Di = of
A = at/to
Da = from
In = in
Per = for
Con = with
Su = on
Tra/fra = between
When you see words in a list like this, they’re hard to remember because they don’t have any real-life meaning. Also, the translations provided above work sometimes, but not all the time!
The best way to learn Italian prepositions is in simple phrases you’ll use in everyday conversations. That’s exactly what you’ll do in this lesson.
We won’t cover every single use – that would be overwhelming. Instead, we’ll focus on some common ones so you can start using them in conversation as soon as possible.
Cominciamo! Let’s get started.
Di = of
Di usually means “of”. For example:
Un bicchiere di vino – A glass of wine
Una mappa di Firenze – A map of Florence
Un piatto di pasta – A plate of pasta
You might also use di to talk about…
1. The town, city or region you’re from:
Sono di San Francisco – I’m from San Francisco (lit. “of” San Francisco)
Matteo è di Napoli – Matteo is from Naples (lit. “of” Naples)
Interestingly, we used to speak like this in English too, for example “Catherine of Aragon”. So when you’re speaking Italian, you just have to pretend you’re 16th Century royalty!
2. Possession and belongings (like ‘s in English)
Questa pizza è di Matteo – This is Matteo’s pizza (lit. this pizza is “of” Matteo)
Il passaporto è di Katie? – Is the passport Katie’s? (lit. the passport is “of” Katie?)
A = at, to
A means both “at” and “to” in Italian:
Sono a casa – I’m at home
Andiamo a Roma – We’re going to Rome
Vado al* supermercato – I’m going to the supermarket
You might also use a in these situations…
1. Being in towns and cities:
Il nostro hotel è a Roma – Our hotel is in Rome (lit. “at” Rome)
Siamo a Positano – We’re in Positano (lit. “at” Positano)
Common mistake alert! Here’s a funny little quirk of Italian – for towns and cities, we use a, not “in”. This is quite different from English, so learners tend to mix these up.
2. Telling the time
A che ora comincia? – What time does it start? (lit. at what time it starts)
Alle otto – At eight
To learn more, check out this lesson on how to tell the time in Italian.
Good to know*
When we say the word “the” after an Italian preposition, it usually hooks onto the end. For example…
For masculine words like il supermercato, we change “il” to “l” and stick it on the end, like this:
Al supermercato – To the supermarket (a + il supermercato)
Dal negozio – From the store (da + il negozio)
Sul menù – On the menu (su + il menu)
For most feminine words, like la stazione, we change “la” to “lla” and stick it on the end, like this:
Alla stazione – At the station (a + la stazione)
Dalla pizzeria – From the pizzeria (da + la pizzeria)
Sulla strada – On the street (su + la strada)
You’ll see a few more examples of these as you keep learning about the other prepositions.
Da = from
Da usually means “from” in Italian:
Il ristorante è lontano da qui? – Is the restaurant far from here?
Questo treno va da Milano a Napoli – This train goes from Milan to Naples
Puoi comprare i biglietti dal tabaccaio – You can buy tickets from the tobacco store
You might also use da to talk about…
1. Services that refer to a person, such as doctors, dentists, mechanics and hairdressers:
Devo andare dal medico – I need to go to the doctor (lit. from the doctor)
Vado dal parrucchiere – I’m going to the hairdressers (lit. from the hairdressers)
We know, using dal when you’re actually going to a place feels weird from an English perspective, but that’s just how Italians say it! In these situations, it’s best to just memorise the phrases – the more you practise, the more natural they’ll feel.
Common mistake alert: A lot of people translate directly from English and say *al medico. In Italian, it doesn’t work that way. We have to say dal medico.
2. How long you’ve been doing something:
Aspettiamo da 20 minuti – We’ve been waiting for 20 minutes
Studio l’italiano da 6 mesi – I’ve been learning Italian for 6 months
Time for another common mistake alert. Learners often translate directly from English and say *per (“for”), but in Italian, when we are still doing the action, we use the present tense with “da”:
Aspettiamo da 20 minuti – We’ve been waiting for 20 minutes (still waiting)
Studio l’italiano da 6 mesi – I’ve been learning Italian for 6 months (still learning)
In = in
In usually means… well… in!
C’è una buona pizzeria in questa zona? – Is there a good pizzeria in this area?
Il menù è in inglese – The menu is in English
Possiamo parlare in italiano? – Can we speak in Italian?
Here are some other situations where you might use in:
1. Going to or being in countries:
Finalmente andiamo in Italia! – We’re finally going to Italy! (lit. “in” Italy)
Siamo in Francia – We’re in France
When we talk about countries in Italian, we always use in, never a, even when we’re talking about going there. Learners often make the mistake of saying “andiamo *a Italia” but in Italian we say andiamo in Italia.
2. For places which are feminine (e.g. la stazione, la piazza, la pizzeria)
Compriamo i biglietti in stazione? – Shall we buy tickets at the station? (lit. in station)
Siamo in piazza – We’re in the square (lit. in square)
Andiamo in spiaggia! – Let’s go to the beach! (lit. in beach)
3. To talk about how you’re getting somewhere (which vehicle)
Andiamo in macchina – We’re going by car (lit. in car)
Preferisco viaggiare in treno – I prefer to travel by train (lit. in train)
Possiamo andare in taxi? – Can we go by taxi? (lit. in taxi)
Per = for
Per usually means “for” in Italian:
Questo vino è per te – This wine is for you
Un tavolo per due – A table for two
You might also use per in these situations…
1. Heading to a destination
Questo è il treno per Roma? – Is this the train to Rome? (lit. for Rome?)
Prendi l’autobus per la stazione centrale – Take the bus to central station
2. To give a reason for something (in order to, so that)
Vado al mercato per comprare la frutta – I’m going to the market (in order) to buy fruit
Studio l’italiano per parlare con gli italiani – I’m studying Italian so I can talk to Italians
Con = with
In Italian, con means “with”. For example:
Viaggio con la mia famiglia – I’m travelling with my family
Una pizza con prosciutto e funghi – A pizza with ham and mushrooms
Un tavolo con vista panoramica – A table with a panoramic views
Finally, we have una buona notizia – good news! Con and with are nearly exactly the same in Italian and English, so you don’t need to worry about getting your head around the different uses.
Su = on
Su usually means “on” in Italian:
È sul menù – It’s on the menu
Dov’è il mio passaporto? Ah, è sul tavolo. – Where’s my passport? Ah, it’s on the table.
Another common meaning of su is “about”:
Ho letto una guida turistica sulla città – I read a tourist guide about the city
Vorrei delle informazioni su come arrivare – I’d like some information about how to arrive
Tra/fra = between
Finally, tra and fra usually mean “between” in Italian. What’s the difference? None! They’re completely interchangeable.
L'aeroporto è situato tra due grandi città – The airport is situated between two big cities
L'aeroporto è situato fra due grandi città – The airport is situated between two big cities
Possiamo scegliere tra questi ristoranti – We can choose between these restaurants
Possiamo scegliere fra questi ristoranti – We can choose between these restaurants
We also use tra or fra to talk about something that will happen in a certain amount of time in the future:
Il supermercato chiude tra 30 minuti – The supermarket is closing in 30 minutes
Il treno parte tra due minuti! – The train’s leaving in two minutes!
What happens if I make a mistake with a preposition?
If you make a mistake with a preposition, Italians will be shocked – you’ll hurt their ears and you’ll be publicly humiliated and forbidden from speaking Italian ever again.
Just joking! But you’d be surprised how many students act as if this were the truth. So let’s say it together…
It’s ok to make mistakes with prepositions.
Everyone does it. Italians might not even notice – they’re too busy focusing on the content of what you’re saying. And even if they do, they’ll usually know what you mean.
You want to get them right, of course, that’s why you’re here. And you will, with practice. But in the meantime, don’t let fear of making a mistake hold you back. Go forth and speak!
Conclusion
Ben fatto – well done. You just learned how to use Italian prepositions in everyday Italian conversations.
Although we focused on the most common uses, you might still be thinking that there are a lot here… and you’re right! The secret is to keep learning them little by little. Start with the sentences you think you’ll say most often and build from there.
Siamo tutti con te…. We’re all “with” you.
Vocabulary: Italian Prepositions Made Easy: Tips and Tricks for Learners
Un piatto di pasta = A plate of pasta
Sono di San Francisco = I’m from San Francisco (lit. “of” San Francisco)
Il nostro hotel è a Roma = Our hotel is in Rome (lit. “at” Rome)
Il ristorante è lontano da qui? = Is the restaurant far from here?
Questo treno va da Milano a Napoli = This train goes from Milan to Naples
Aspettiamo da 20 minuti = We’ve been waiting for 20 minutes (lit. we wait “from” 20 minutes)
Andiamo in macchina = We’re going by car (lit. “in” car)
Un tavolo per due = A table for two
Vado al mercato per comprare la frutta = I’m going to the market (in order) to buy fruit
È sul menù = It’s on the menu
Una guida sulla città = A guide about the city (lit. “on” the city)
Tra due città = Between two cities
Il supermercato chiude tra 30 minuti = The supermarket closes in 30 minutes (lit. “between”)
Quiz: Italian Prepositions Made Easy: Tips and Tricks for Learners
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Flashcards: Italian Prepositions Made Easy: Tips and Tricks for Learners
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Transcript: Italian Prepositions Made Easy: Tips and Tricks for Learners
Please note, this is not a word for word transcript.
K: Ciao a tutti e benvenuti! Hi everyone and welcome to “Learn Italian with Joy of Languages”.
M: Today we're talking about a really important topic: prepositions. You know, those tiny words like "in," "a," "di," and "da."
K: They might seem intimidating, but fear not! In this episode we'll show you how to use them in everyday conversations.
M: Let's begin by listing the main ones: Di, A, Da, In, Per, Con, Su, Tra
K: But hold on – don't focus too much on memorizing them like this. The best way to learn Italian prepositions is through simple phrases you'll use in everyday conversations. So in this episode, we’ll focus on common uses to help you use them more confidently.
M: Di usually means "of,"
K: For example, “a plate of pasta”
M: Un piatto di pasta (x2)
K: Or “a glass of wine”
M: Un bicchiere di vino (x2)
K: We also use it when talking about possession, for example: “this is Matteo’s pizza”
M: Grazie!
K: We literally say “this pizza is of Matteo”
M: Questa pizza è di Matteo (x2)
K: We also use it to talk about the town or city we’re from. “I am from San Francisco” is literally “I am of San Francisco”
M: Sono di San Francisco (x2)
K: You have to talk like a 16th Century royal, like Catherine of Aragon. Matteo isn’t from San Francisco as you know, he’s from Naples! How would he say “I’m from Naples”? Literally “I’m ‘of’ Napoli”:
M: Sono di Napoli
K: The famous Matteo of Naples :)
Next, A means both "at" and "to." For example, I’m at home:
M: Sono a casa (x2)
K: Or “We’re going to Rome”
M: Andiamo a Roma (x2)
K: Now, a weird little quirk of Italian, is that to talk about being in a city, we always use a. So our hotel is in Rome, would literally be “our hotel is at Rome”
M: Il nostro hotel è a Roma
K: Lots of people say “in” like they would in English, but when you’re talking about a town or city, you’ll need a. I’m in Milan would be “I’m at Milan”:
M: Sono a Milano (x2)
K: I live in Milan, I live “at Milan”.
M: Vivo a Milano (x2)
K: Da typically means "from,". For example, Matteo often takes the train from Milan to Naples. How would you say “the train goes from Milan to Naples”?
M: Il treno va da Milano a Napoli (x2)
K: We also use it to talk about how much time we’ve been doing something, for example, we’ve been waiting for 20 minutes, literally “we wait from 20 minutes”
M: Aspettiamo da 20 minuti (x2)
K: A lot of people want to say per which means “for”, like they would in English, but if you're talking about something that’s still true, that you’re still doing, we use da. For example, if someone compliments you on your Italian, you might want to say “I’ve been studying Italian for 6 months”. Literally “I study Italian from 6 months”
M: Studio l’italiano da sei mesi (x2)
K: In, means… well “in”. We use it for places, for example, is there a good restaurant in this area? To say “area” in Italian, we use a word which sounds like “zone” – zona.
M: C'è una buona pizzeria in questa zona? (x2)
K: We also use it to talk about how we’re going somewhere, by what vehicle. We’re going by car, literally “we go in car”.
M: Andiamo in macchina (x2)
K: We’re going by train, literally “in train”
M: Andiamo in treno (x2)
K: This works for all vehicles, in taxi, in tram, in aereo (aeroplane) and so on.
Per usually means “for”. For example, if you go to an Italian restaurant, you might ask for “a table for two”
M: Un tavolo per due (x2)
K: We also use per to give a reason for doing something. I’m going to the market so that I can buy fruit. In order to buy fruit. In Italian, we use per.
M: Vado al mercato per comprare la frutta (x2)
K: Con means "with," and we have good news for you! It's the same as "with" in English. We can’t think of any other weird uses to learn. So you can say “I’m travelling with my family”
M: Viaggio con la mia famiglia (x2)
K: Or “a pizza with ham and mushrooms”
M: Una pizza con prosciutto e funghi
K: Su usually means "on,". For example, it’s on the menu:
M: È sul menu (x2)
K: Notice how su links up with the word for il? We have su which means “on” and il menù, the menu. Su and il link together and become “sul”. We’ll talk about this in more detail in a future episode.
Su can also mean "about," as in “a guide about the city”.
M: Una guida sulla città (x2)
K: Again here, we have su, “on” and la città, the city. Together su and la become sulla.
Finally, we have "tra" and "fra," which both mean "between." What’s the difference Matteo?
M: Luckily, there’s no difference! You can use them interchangeably.
K: For example, “between two cities”, you can use tra or fra.
M: Tra due città (x2) Or… Fra due città (x2)
K: We also use tra or fra for something that will happen in a specific amount of time in the future, for example “the supermarket closes in 30 minutes”, literally “between 30 minutes”.
M: Il supermercato chiude tra 30 minuti
K: So, what happens if you make a mistake with a preposition?
M: If you make a mistake with a preposition, Italians will be shocked – you’ll hurt their ears and you’ll be publicly humiliated and forbidden from speaking Italian ever again.
Just joking! It’s not a problem at all. Everyone does it, and we might not even notice. We’re too busy focusing on the content of what you’re saying. And even if we do notice, we usually know what you mean.
K: Of course, you want to get it right, that’s why you’re here. But you’ll learn them little by little with practice as you go along. And in the meantime, go forth and speak!
M: There are a few more common uses for these little words and a couple of mistakes to avoid that we didn’t mention here, but we made sure to include them in the blog.
K: If you’d like to learn them and get bonus materials, like vocabulary cards and a quiz, head over to our website by clicking on the link in the description. And if you found this episode useful, can we ask you a quick favour? Please take a second to click the “follow” or “subscribe” button in your podcast app – it helps us grow and reach more people, and you’ll get updated every time we release a new episode.
M - See you next time.
K - Or as we say in Italian.
Alla prossima!
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