Italian Prepositions: a, di, da, in, su, per

Prepositions are tiny words that do enormous work. In Italian, six prepositions — a, di, da, in, su, per — appear on almost every page of any text you'll ever read. The challenge isn't memorising a single translation for each one; it's understanding the range of meanings each one covers. This guide walks through every major use, gives you a table of contracted forms, and points out the classic mistakes Italian learners make.

Preposizioni Articolate: When Prepositions Merge with Articles

Five of the six prepositions — a, di, da, in, su — contract with Italian definite articles to form a single word. These merged forms are called preposizioni articolate and are used whenever the preposition is followed by a definite article. The preposition per does not form contractions in modern Italian — it always stays separate.

A — To, At, In

The preposition a covers several English prepositions depending on context. Its most common uses are:

• Location or destination — cities and small islands: Use a with the names of cities and towns. Vivo a Milano. (I live in Milan.) Vado a Napoli. (I'm going to Naples.)
• Time: Use a for clock times and specific moments. Arrivo alle tre. (I'm arriving at three.) A mezzogiorno mangiamo. (At noon we eat.)
• Manner / method: Common in fixed expressions. Fatto a mano. (Handmade — literally, made by hand.) Andiamo a piedi. (We're going on foot.)
• Before an infinitive (purpose): After verbs of motion. Vengo a trovarti. (I'm coming to visit you.)

Di — Of, From, About

Di is arguably the most versatile Italian preposition. Think of it as the "connecting" preposition that links two nouns or shows what something belongs to, is made of, or is about.

• Possession: La macchina di Marco è rossa. (Marco's car is red.)
• Material or composition: Un tavolo di legno. (A wooden table — literally, of wood.)
• Topic — about: Parliamo di politica. (We're talking about politics.)
• Origin (where someone is from): Sono di Torino. (I'm from Turin.) — Use di for permanent origin, da for movement away from a place.
• Time of day / season: Di mattina bevo il caffè. (In the morning I drink coffee.) D'estate fa caldo. (In summer it's hot.) — Note the elision: di + estate → d'estate.
• Comparison — than: Lei è più alta di me. (She is taller than me.)
• Partitive — some of: Di + definite article forms the partitive: Voglio del pane. (I want some bread.) Hai delle domande? (Do you have any questions?)
• Before infinitives: Many verbs require di before a dependent infinitive: Cerco di studiare ogni giorno. (I try to study every day.) Ho paura di sbagliare. (I'm afraid of making a mistake.)

Da — From, Since, By, At

Da is the preposition that most surprises English speakers, because it covers meanings spread across several English words. Its core idea is origin or starting point — in space, time, or causation.

• Origin / departure point: Parto da Roma. (I'm leaving from Rome.) — Where something or someone comes from or moves away from.
• Duration — since / for (ongoing action): With the present tense, da expresses an action that started in the past and is still happening. Studio italiano da due anni. (I have been studying Italian for two years — and I still am.) English uses the perfect; Italian uses the present + da.
• Passive agent — by: Da introduces whoever performed the action in a passive sentence. Il romanzo è stato scritto da Elena Ferrante. (The novel was written by Elena Ferrante.)
• At someone's place: Da + a person's name or role means "at the place of". Vado dal medico. (I'm going to the doctor's.) Siamo da Marco. (We're at Marco's place.)
• Purpose / function: Da + noun describes what something is used for or designed to be. Una tazza da tè. (A teacup — a cup for tea.) Un cane da guardia. (A guard dog.)
• Characterising feature: Una ragazza dai capelli rossi. (A girl with red hair — literally, from/with red hair.)

In — In, Into, By

In is the natural partner of a for location. Where a points to a city or town, in points to larger geographical areas, enclosed spaces, and means of transport.

• Location — countries, regions, continents, large islands: Vivo in Italia. (I live in Italy.) Siamo in Toscana. (We're in Tuscany.) Andiamo in Sardegna. (We're going to Sardinia.)
• Enclosed spaces — rooms, buildings, generic places: Sono in cucina. (I'm in the kitchen.) Studia in biblioteca. (He studies in the library.) Note: these expressions typically drop the article.
• Means of transport: in macchina (by car), in treno (by train), in aereo (by plane), in autobus (by bus). Exception: you say a piedi (on foot).
• Time — within a period: in estate (in summer), in gennaio (in January), in due ore (in/within two hours).

Su — On, About, Approximately

Su maps closely to English "on" for physical position, but it also carries the sense of "about" (a topic) and "approximately" in some fixed expressions.

• Physical position — on top of: Il libro è sul tavolo. (The book is on the table.) Metti il cappotto sulla sedia. (Put the coat on the chair.)
• Topic — about, on the subject of: Un libro sulla storia di Roma. (A book about the history of Rome.) Ha scritto un articolo sul cambiamento climatico. (She wrote an article on climate change.)
• Approximation: Costa sui trenta euro. (It costs around thirty euros.) Ha sui quarant'anni. (He's around forty years old.)
• Fixed expressions: sul serio (seriously, earnestly), su misura (custom-made, tailored to measure).

Per — For, In Order To, Through

Per is the preposition of purpose and destination. Unlike the other five, it does not contract with definite articles in modern Italian — per il, per la, per i always remain two separate words.

• Purpose / goal — for, in order to: Studio per imparare. (I study to learn.) Questo è un regalo per te. (This is a gift for you.)
• Destination — heading for: Partiamo per Roma domani. (We're leaving for Rome tomorrow.) Il treno per Firenze è in ritardo. (The train to Florence is late.)
• Duration — for (completed period): With past tenses, per marks how long something lasted. Ho aspettato per due ore. (I waited for two hours.)
• Cause / reason: Ti ringrazio per il tuo aiuto. (I thank you for your help.) È famosa per la sua cucina. (She's famous for her cooking.)
• Movement through / via: Siamo passati per Venezia. (We passed through Venice.)

Side by Side: The Most Confusing Pairs

Several prepositions overlap in ways that trip up learners. Here is a quick comparison of the trickiest pairs:

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using "a" with countries: "Vado a Italia" is incorrect. Countries and regions take in: Vado in Italia.
2. Using "per" for ongoing duration: "Studio italiano per due anni" sounds like a completed fact. If you're still studying, use da: Studio italiano da due anni.
3. Using "di" instead of "da" for passive agent: The passive uses da, not di. Say è stata scritta da Calvino, not di Calvino.
4. Forgetting to contract: "Vado a il mercato" is wrong. The contracted form is compulsory: Vado al mercato.
5. Using "su" instead of "di" for topics in some contexts: Both can mean "about", but parlare di (to talk about) and avere paura di (to be afraid of) require di, not su.

Prepositions in Reading Practice

Prepositions are one of those grammar areas where exposure beats memorisation. The rules above give you a framework, but fluency comes from seeing del, dalla, per, and nell' in real sentences thousands of times. When you encounter a preposition in a text that surprises you, pause and look at what it is connecting — that pattern will stick far better than a rule on a flashcard.

On LingueLibrary, every word in adapted Italian stories is clickable. When you tap a preposition or a contracted form like agli or sulla, you get instant context — and because the stories are graded by level, you'll meet prepositions in natural sentences right from A2. Building an intuition for Italian prepositions through reading is one of the fastest routes to getting them right without thinking.