Vivo a Milano, ma sono di Roma e vado spesso da mia sorella in treno.I live in Milan, but I'm from Rome and I often go to my sister's by train.
Italian has a small group of short, very frequent words that link a verb or noun to what comes next: a, in, di, da, con, su, per, tra / fra. They are called prepositions, and one of the most useful habits is to learn each of them together with a few typical phrases rather than one fixed English translation.
Quick shortcut: for places, use a with towns (a Roma), in with countries and regions (in Italia) and da with people (da Marco). Di links nouns and says where you are from (il libro di Anna, sono di Roma).
The eight prepositions at a glance
| Preposition | Main uses | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| a | towns, time, to a person | a Roma, a mezzogiorno, a Marco |
| in | countries and regions, transport | in Italia, in treno |
| di | belonging, origin, topic | il libro di Anna, sono di Roma, parlare di |
| da | from, at or to a person's place, since | da Roma, da Marco, da due anni |
| con | together with | con Anna, con gli amici |
| su | on, about | su una sedia, un libro su Roma |
| per | for, destination, purpose | per Anna, un treno per Roma, per imparare |
| tra / fra | between, in (a period of time) | tra Roma e Milano, tra due ore |
a
A is used with towns and cities, with times of day and with the person who receives something (clock times such as alle otto have the article built in, see below):
- Vivo a Roma. (I live in Rome.) Vado a Milano. (I'm going to Milan.)
- Mangiamo a mezzogiorno. (We eat at noon.) A che ora comincia il film? (What time does the film start?)
- Do un libro a Marco. (I give Marco a book.)
- Fixed expressions: a casa (at home, home), a scuola (at school).
in
In is used with most countries, with regions and with many means of transport:
- Vivo in Italia. (I live in Italy.) Andiamo in Toscana. (We're going to Tuscany.)
- Vado in treno / in macchina / in autobus. (I go by train / by car / by bus.)
di
Di links nouns and says who something belongs to, where someone is from and what you are talking about:
- Il libro di Anna. (Anna's book.) La macchina di mio padre. (My father's car.)
- Sono di Roma. (I'm from Rome.)
- Parliamo di musica. (We're talking about music.)
da
Da is used for starting points, for going to or being at a person's place and for since or for with a time that is still going on:
- Vengo da Roma. (I come from Rome.)
- Vado da Marco stasera. (I'm going to Marco's tonight.)
- Studio italiano da due anni. (I've been studying Italian for two years.)
con, su, per
- Con means with: Esco con gli amici. (I'm going out with my friends.)
- Su means on or about: Il libro è su una sedia. (The book is on a chair.) Leggo un libro su Roma. (I'm reading a book about Rome.)
- Per means for, and also to / towards a destination or in order to: Questo regalo è per Luca. (This present is for Luca.) Un treno per Roma. (A train to Rome.) Studio per imparare. (I study in order to learn.)
tra / fra
Tra and fra say between two things and in (a period of time from now):
- Il bar è tra la banca e il cinema. (The café is between the bank and the cinema.)
- Torno tra due ore. (I'll be back in two hours.)
The two words mean the same, so you can use either. Speakers often pick the one that avoids repeating a sound, for example fra tre giorni rather than tra tre giorni, and tra fratelli rather than fra fratelli.
Prepositions and the article
When the noun comes with a definite article, a, di, da, in and su join it into one word: a + il = al, di + il = del, da + il = dal, in + il = nel, su + il = sul, and a + le = alle (alle otto, at eight). That is covered in Articulated prepositions. This article keeps to prepositions on their own, with no article or with un / una.
Common mistakes
- ❌ Vivo in Roma. → ✅ Vivo a Roma.
- ❌ Vado a Italia. → ✅ Vado in Italia.
- ❌ Vado a Marco. → ✅ Vado da Marco. (to Marco's place)
- ❌ Vengo di Roma. → ✅ Vengo da Roma.
- ❌ Vado con treno. → ✅ Vado in treno.
- ❌ Parlo su musica. → ✅ Parlo di musica.
Quick check
Choose the right preposition (a, in, di, da, con, su, per, tra / fra).
- Vivo ____ Milano.
- Andiamo ____ Spagna.
- Questo è il libro ____ Anna.
- Stasera vado ____ Marco.
- Esco ____ gli amici.
- Questo regalo è ____ Luca.
- Torno ____ due ore.
- Leggo un libro ____ Roma.
Show answers
- a 2. in 3. di 4. da 5. con 6. per 7. tra / fra 8. su
Want to put this into practice?
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Key takeaways
- The eight simple prepositions are a, in, di, da, con, su, per, tra / fra; learn each one with typical phrases rather than a single translation.
- Places: a + town (a Roma), in + country or region (in Italia), da + person (da Marco).
- Di shows belonging and origin (il libro di Anna, sono di Roma) and is used with parlare (parlare di musica).
- Da also means from (vengo da Roma) and since / for with a time still going on (da due anni).
- Per = for, towards, in order to; su = on, about; con = with.
- Tra and fra are interchangeable.
- With a definite article, a, di, da, in, su fuse with it (al, del, dal, nel, sul).
