Basic prepositions and contractions
A1What are basic Italian prepositions and what does "contraction" mean here?
Prepositions are short words that link nouns, pronouns or phrases to other parts of the sentence. They show relationships of place, time, origin, possession, purpose and more. In Italian common simple prepositions include: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra, fra.
When learners talk about "contractions" in Italian grammar they usually mean preposizioni articolate: the forms that result when certain prepositions join (fuse with) the definite article (the). For example a + il becomes al, and di + i becomes dei. This is not the same as English contractions like can t or do n't; in Italian these fused forms are standard and required in the right contexts.
- di (of, from, about, possession)
- a (to, at, for time expressions)
- da (from, by, since, at someone's place)
- in (in, into, by for transport, used with many countries)
- con (with)
- su (on, about)
- per (for, in order to, toward)
- tra / fra (between/among, in a time expression)
Quick note about articles
Italian definite articles are the words meaning the in English and they change to match gender, number and the first letter of the noun: il, lo, l', la (singular) and i, gli, le (plural). Because prepositional contractions use those same article forms, it helps to recognize which article you would otherwise use before the noun.
Which simple prepositions should I learn first and how are they used?
- Uses: possession (the book of Maria), content/about, material, origin, partitive
- Examples:
- Il libro di Maria (Maria s book)
- Parliamo di musica (We talk about music)
- Una maglia di cotone (a shirt made of cotton)
- Sono di Roma (I m from Rome)
- Uses: destination, time, indirect object, manner/price
- Examples:
- Vado a scuola (I go to school)
- Arrivo a mezzogiorno (I arrive at noon)
- Do il libro a Luca (I give the book to Luca)
- A piedi (on foot)
- Uses: origin (I come from), agent in passive sentences (by), at someone s place, since/for time, purpose in adjectives/infinitive phrases
- Examples:
- Vengo da Milano (I come from Milan)
- Il libro è stato scritto da Anna (The book was written by Anna)
- Vado da Marco (I m going to Marco s house)
- Lavoro qui da due anni (I ve worked here for two years)
- Uses: location inside or in a place type, countries/regions, months/seasons, means (in macchina)
- Examples:
- Abito in Italia (I live in Italy)
- Sono in cucina (I m in the kitchen)
- In estate fa caldo (In summer it s hot)
- Viaggiamo in treno (We travel by train)
- Uses: accompaniment, instrument or manner
- Examples:
- Vado con lei (I go with her)
- Scrivo con la penna (I write with the pen)
- Con piacere (with pleasure)
- Uses: on top of, about (a book about Dante)
- Examples:
- Il libro è sul tavolo (The book is on the table)
- Un documentario su Leonardo (a documentary about Leonardo)
- Uses: purpose, destination, duration, in order to
- Examples:
- Questo è per te (This is for you)
- Parto per Roma domani (I m leaving for Rome tomorrow)
- Studio per imparare (I study in order to learn)
- Uses: between/among, in X time (in two days)
- Examples:
- La casa è tra le montagne (The house is among the mountains)
- Ci vediamo fra due giorni (See you in two days)
What are prepositional contractions (preposizioni articolate) and which prepositions combine with the definite article?
Five common prepositions regularly combine with the definite article. When a preposition immediately precedes a noun that requires a definite article, the two join into a single word. The prepositions that do this are:
- di, a, da, in, su
Note:
- con and per do not normally form contracted forms in modern standard Italian (older/poetic forms like col, pel appear in literature).
- tra/fra never contract with the article.
This type of fusion is called preposizione articolata.
How are contractions formed? (Full list of forms with examples)
Below are the contracted forms for each of the five prepositions. Each column shows what happens when the preposition meets a particular definite article.
di + definite article
- di + il = del
- La copertina del libro è rossa (The book s cover is red)
- di + lo = dello
- Il riflesso dello specchio (The reflection of the mirror)
- di + la = della
- La porta della casa (The house s door)
- di + l' = dell'
- Il sapore dell'acqua (The taste of the water)
- di + i = dei
- I giocattoli dei bambini (The children s toys)
- di + gli = degli
- I nomi degli studenti (The students names)
- di + le = delle
- Le finestre delle stanze (The rooms windows)
a + definite article
- a + il = al
- Vado al mercato (I m going to the market)
- a + lo = allo
- Parlo allo studente (I speak to the student)
- a + la = alla
- Vado alla festa (I m going to the party)
- a + l' = all'
- All'università c'è una lezione (There is a lecture at the university)
- a + i = ai
- Ho dato i libri ai ragazzi (I gave the books to the boys)
- a + gli = agli
- Ho parlato agli amici (I talked to the friends)
- a + le = alle
- Sono andato alle lezioni (I went to the classes)
da + definite article
- da + il = dal
- Torno dal negozio (I m coming back from the shop)
- da + lo = dallo
- Vengo dallo zio (I come from my uncle)
- da + la = dalla
- Sono tornato dalla stazione (I returned from the station)
- da + l' = dall'
- Vengo dall'ospedale (I come from the hospital)
- da + i = dai
- Torno dai miei genitori (I go back to my parents house)
- da + gli = dagli
- Un messaggio dagli amici (A message from the friends)
- da + le = dalle
- Sono partito dalle sei (I left at six)
in + definite article
- in + il = nel
- Entriamo nel giardino (We enter the garden)
- in + lo = nello
- Metti il quaderno nello zaino (Put the notebook in the backpack)
- in + la = nella
- Nella stanza c è luce (There is light in the room)
- in + l' = nell'
- Nell'armadio ci sono vestiti (There are clothes in the wardrobe)
- in + i = nei
- I vestiti sono nei cassetti (The clothes are in the drawers)
- in + gli = negli
- Negli anni '90 (In the 90s)
- in + le = nelle
- Nelle scuole si studia (In schools one studies)
su + definite article
- su + il = sul
- Il libro è sul tavolo (The book is on the table)
- su + lo = sullo
- Metti la pianta sullo scaffale (Put the plant on the shelf)
- su + la = sulla
- La giacca è sulla sedia (The jacket is on the chair)
- su + l' = sull'
- Sull'isola c è un faro (There is a lighthouse on the island)
- su + i = sui
- I quaderni sono sui banchi (The notebooks are on the desks)
- su + gli = sugli
- I piatti sono sugli scaffali (The plates are on the shelves)
- su + le = sulle
- Le scarpe sono sulle mensole (The shoes are on the shelves)
When do I use a contracted form and when not?
Main rule
Use the contracted (articulated) form when the preposition is immediately followed by a noun that takes a definite article. If the noun is used without an article (for example many proper names, some places, or bare nouns in set expressions), you do not contract.
Examples that contrast contraction vs. no contraction
- Vado al mercato (a + il mercato -> al) vs Vado a Roma (no article for the city name, so simple a is used)
- Il libro del ragazzo (di + il ragazzo -> del) vs Il libro di Marco (Marco is a name; we normally say di Marco, not *del Marco)
- Abito nella città moderna (in + la città -> nella) vs Abito in centro (no article in this idiom)
Pronouns and names
When a preposition is followed directly by a personal pronoun, you do not use a contraction in modern standard Italian. Say a me, con te, da lui, per noi. (Exception: you will see forms like col for con il in older texts or stylistic uses.)
Why this matters in English terms
A contraction like del corresponds to English of the or from the (depending on context). English separates the preposition and the article; Italian often fuses them. If you forget to contract, your sentence will sound incorrect: *Vado a il negozio is wrong; say Vado al negozio.
- Wrong: Vado a il negozio. Correct: Vado al negozio.
- Wrong: Il regalo è di il bambino. Correct: Il regalo è del bambino.
- Wrong: Parto per l Italia (with a space in the wrong place) Correct: Parto per l'Italia or better: Parto per l Italia is wrong formatting; Parto per l'Italia stays as per + l' (no contraction for per) — note per does not contract, so say per l'Italia.
- Confusing da and di: In a passive construction say scritto da (written by), not scritto di; in possession use di.
- Correct: Il libro è scritto da Paolo (The book is written by Paolo)
- Correct: Il libro di Paolo (Paolo s book)
- Using contractions with names that do not take the article: say Il figlio di Marco, not Il figlio del Marco (unless a regional article is used with the name)
- Mixing up in and a for places: Many cities take a, many countries take in (Vado a Roma, Abito in Italia). Learn common collocations.
- Trying to contract per, tra, fra or con in standard writing. Use per il, con la, fra i, etc., not *pel or *colla in formal contexts.
- Possession / of
- Il telefono di Giulia (Giulia s phone)
- Il telefono del ragazzo (the boy s phone)
- Destination / to
- Vado al cinema (I m going to the cinema)
- Torno a casa (I m returning home)
- Origin / from
- Vengo dall Italia (I come from Italy)
- Sono di Firenze (I m from Florence)
- Location / in, on
- Metti il piatto sul tavolo (Put the plate on the table)
- Ci sono libri nello scaffale (There are books in the shelf)
- Agent in passive / by
- Il film è stato diretto da un grande regista (The film was directed by a great director)
- Purpose / for
- Ho comprato un regalo per te (I bought a gift for you)
- Time expressions
- All una (At 1 o clock) -> a + l' = all'
- Negli anni scorsi (In past years)
- Tra due giorni (In two days)
- With means / instruments
- Viaggiamo in aereo (We travel by plane) (in + noun for transport)
- Scrivo con la matita (I write with the pencil)
- preposition (preposizione): a word that links nouns or phrases to other words (e.g., a, in, di)
- definite article (articolo determinativo): the words meaning the in Italian (il, lo, la, l', i, gli, le)
- preposizione articolata: a preposition that has fused with a definite article (del, al, dal, nel, sul, etc.)
- contraction (in this article): a fused preposition + article; not the same as English verbal contractions
- elision: dropping a vowel and attaching an apostrophe (l') when the article meets a vowel-starting noun
- Memorize the five prepositions that form contractions: di, a, da, in, su and the 7 article forms they can meet.
- Practice with place names and common phrases (al cinema, in ufficio, dal dottore, sulla sedia).
- When unsure, ask whether the noun needs a definite article. If it does, use the preposizione articolata; if it doesn t (names, many set expressions), use the simple preposition.