Italian Prepositions and Their Merged Forms: Al, Nel, Sul, Dal
The main Italian prepositions, how they merge with the article (a + il = al), and how to choose between a, in and da with places.
Italian has seven common prepositions. When followed by a definite article, five of them fuse with it into a single word.
The prepositions
| Preposition | Basic meaning |
|---|---|
| di | of, from |
| a | to, at |
| da | from, by, at (someone's place) |
| in | in |
| su | on |
| con | with |
| per | for |
| tra / fra | between, among, in (time) |
Merged forms
Di, a, da, in and su combine with the article:
| il | lo | la | l' | i | gli | le | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| di | del | dello | della | dell' | dei | degli | delle |
| a | al | allo | alla | all' | ai | agli | alle |
| da | dal | dallo | dalla | dall' | dai | dagli | dalle |
| in | nel | nello | nella | nell' | nei | negli | nelle |
| su | sul | sullo | sulla | sull' | sui | sugli | sulle |
Examples:
- Vado al mercato. — I'm going to the market.
- Il libro è sul tavolo. — The book is on the table.
- Vengo dalla stazione. — I'm coming from the station.
- Nella borsa ho le chiavi. — In the bag I have the keys.
- Il colore della casa — the colour of the house
Con and per normally don't merge: con il cane, per la strada.
Places
| Use | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a | cities and small islands | a Roma, a Capri |
| in | countries, regions | in Italia, in Toscana |
| in | streets, shops (general) | in centro, in banca |
| da | a person's home or workplace | da Marco, dal dottore |
Some fixed expressions
- al mare — at the seaside
- in montagna — in the mountains
- a casa — at home
- in ufficio — in the office
- di sera — in the evening
Di or da?
- Sono di Milano. — I'm from Milan (origin).
- Vengo da Milano. — I'm coming from Milan (movement).
Tra and fra
Both mean the same thing and are interchangeable:
- Tra due ore — in two hours
- Fra amici — among friends
Tips
- Learn the merged forms as a table.
- Learn a/in/da with places.
- Use the dictionary to check verb-preposition pairs.
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