Grammar: Prepositions

Grammar: Prepositions

Definition of Prepositions

Prepositions (preposizioni) are short words used to link other words together in a sentence.
They provide information about location, direction, time, manner, and purpose.
For example, in the sentence “Vado a firenze.” (“I’m going to Florence.”), “a” is a preposition indicating direction.

Types of Prepositions

Italian has both simple prepositions (preposizioni semplici) and compound prepositions (preposizioni articolate).
Simple prepositions: include “a” (to, at), “in” (in), “di” (of), “con” (with), “su” (on), “per” (for), “tra” (between), “fra” (among).
Compound prepositions: are formed by combining simple prepositions with definite articles. For example, “a” + “il” = “al”, in + “la” = “nella”.

Prepositional Contractions

Prepositions sometimes contract with the following word in Italian.
This usually happens when the preposition “a”, “da”, “di”, “in”, or “su” is followed by an article.
For example, “di” (of) + “il” (the) becomes “del”. “Al” (to the) and “dal” (from the) are other common contractions.

Using Prepositions with Verbs

Many Italian verbs require specific prepositions to be used after them.
For example, after “andare” (to go), “a” is used. So to say “She is going to Rome”, you’d say “Lei va a Roma”.
Always learn the correct preposition to use with a verb, as it may not directly translate from English.

Prepositions and Pronouns

Prepositions can also be combined with direct and indirect pronouns.
For example, “Io penso a te” means “I think about you,” where “a” is the preposition and “te” is a direct object pronoun.

Prepositions of Place

Specific prepositions are used to indicate location and direction, referred to as prepositions of place.
For example, “in” is used with countries and large islands, “a” with cities and small islands, and “da” to indicate a person’s home or a store.
When talking about going towards a place “verso” is often used.

Prepositions and Time

Prepositions can provide information about time.
For example, “a” can be used to indicate a specific time (e.g., “a mezzogiorno” = “at noon”).
“In” is used with months, seasons, and years (e.g., “in giugno” = “in June”, “in estate” = “in summer”).
The preposition “per” is used to indicate a period of time, such as “for two weeks” would be “per due settimane”.