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How to Say Why in Italian? – 10 Common Expressions

Learning to say why in Italian is one of the first things to keep in mind when starting a conversation.

In fact, you realize that you could sometimes bump into incomplete sentences in case this word is missing.

The most popular term to express why in Italian is perché. Perché can be intended as an interrogative adverb when making questions; on the contrary, it becomes a causal conjunction in presence of answers. It is basically used when you hope to get more information about something that happened to you or someone else. According to the type of words preceding or following perché, you are able to stress more or less what you mean. In other cases, you can resort to different but still valid options like come mai, per quale motivo, a che scopo and so on.

Soon I’ll show you some of the most common ways to translate why in Italian.

Shall we begin?

before going any further, I also suggest you to refresh Italian Grammar with one of these useful books:

10 Common Ways to Say Why in Italian:

Here below you can find a list of 10 common ways of saying why in Italian and all different uses of perché in context:

Perché?
Perché no! / Perché no?
E perché?
Perché mai?
Come mai?
Per quale motivo? / Per quale ragione?
A che scopo? / A che pro?
Il perché
Ma dai! / Suvvia!
Beh / Che dire

Let’s see them together more closely:

1. Perché?

Let’s start with perché, which is one of the most widespread expressions to translate why in Italian. Generally, we use it when seeking explanations about someone’s actions or finding the reason why something is happening or just occured.

Examples:

Perché Giada non è venuta? La stavamo aspettando.
Why didn’t Giada come? We were waiting for her.

Perché non mi hai detto nulla? Avrei potuto aiutarti!
Why didn’t you tell me anything? I could have helped you!

Fun fact: do you know the famous song La partita di pallone by Italian singer Rita Pavone? Well, try to guess how many times the word perché repeats itself in the song! Did you manage? Almost 14 times!

2. Perché no! and Perché no?

Secondly, you need to know that perché can be followed by no in two specific cases.

In the first one, it appears when you support someone’s proposal/idea of doing something. As you can see, this is the case we use an exclamation: perché no!
In the second one, it occurs when you ask for explanations about something you were not allowed to do. Its equivalent in English is why not and as you can notice we use question mark: perché no?

Examples:

Ma perché non andiamo in centro più tardi? – Sì, perché no!
Why don’t we go downtown later? – Sure, why not!

Ti ho già detto che non puoi uscire stasera. – Uffa, perché no?
I already told you that you cannot go out tonight. – Ugh, why not?

3. E perché?

Furthermore, perché meaning why in Italian can be preceded by the conjunction e when expressing interest in something or somebody’s choices.

Examples:

Antonio ti ha chiesto di incontrarlo? E perché?
Did Antonio ask you to meet him? Why?

Isabella ha deciso di lasciare il lavoro? E perché?
Did Isabella decide to leave her job? Why?

Make sure not to confuse e as conjunction with è as the third person singular of the verb essere (to be).

4. Perché mai?

Perché mai? - Italian translation of Why

On the contrary, perché followed by the adverb mai (never) conveys the idea that you are investigating the reason for what they just told you. When uttering this expression, a sense of wonder usually arises.

Examples:

Perché mai Jackson ci avrebbe mentito? Non ha senso!
Why would Jackson lie to us? It makes no sense!

Perché mai lo avrebbe cacciato di casa? Che ha fatto di male?
Why would she kick him out? What did he do wrong?

As you may have noticed, the conditional tense has been employed in both sentences. On this occasion, you can just make assumptions about what happened since you don’t know the truth yet.

5. Come mai?

As you can see, in this expression come (how) takes the place of perché. Despite that, the meaning and the use of come mai are pretty much the same as in the preceding case of saying Why in Italian.

Examples:

Come mai non sei venuta alla festa di Gianna ieri sera?
Why didn’t you come to Gianna’s party yesterday night?

Come mai non ti ha voluto dire quello che è successo?
Why didn’t she want to tell you what happened?

Fun fact: in the popular song Come mai by the Italian band 883, you can hear come mai occurring over and over again.

6. Per quale motivo? / Per quale ragione?

Instead, per quale motivo or per quale ragione are great alternatives to indicate why in Italian. Both translate as for which reason. Plus, they are mainly employed when you specifically ask for more information about something that you struggle to understand.

Examples:

Per quale motivo non hai chiamato prima di venire?
Why didn’t you call me before coming over?

Per quale ragione Marika pensa che ce l’abbia con lei?
Why does Marika think I’m mad at her?

7. A che scopo? / a che pro?

Similarly, a che scopo and a che pro can be considered as other important ways to say why in Italian. They mean respectively for what purpose? and what’s the point?. In addition, they are mostly applied in very informal contexts when questioning the reason for someone’s decisions.

Examples:

Vuole vendere la casa e trasferirsi in Canada. Ok, ma a che scopo?
He wishes to sell his house and move to Canada. Ok, but why?

Ti darà il tuo regalo di Natale a Capodanno. Sì, ma a che scopo?
She is going to give you her Christmas present on New Year’s Eve. Yeah, but why?

8. Il perchè

Going on, it’s time to mention another interesting statement standing for why in Italian: il perché. As you can see, it is combined with a definite article. Regarding its usage, it is employed in the same way as the other expressions we saw until now.

Examples:

Oggi la lavastoviglie non funziona e non capisco il perché.
Today the dishwasher doesn’t work and I have no idea why.

Non ha risposto ai miei messaggi e vorrei sapere il perché.
He didn’t reply to my messages and I would like to know why.

Note that:

You can even find il perché in combination with the preposition di (of) in certain circumstances.

Example:

Non si spiegano il perché della nostra scelta.
They can’t explain the why of our decision.

Other possible solutions imply that perché may be replaced by the nouns motivo e causa meaning reason in English.

Example:

Non ho ancora capito il motivo del loro litigio.
I still don’t understand the why of their argument.

9. Ma dai! / Suvvia!

Equally important are the following translations of why in Italian: ma dai and suvvia. These two Italian exclamations are required when you want to highlight the senselessness of what your speaker has just told you.

In English, this concept is clearer since why might be intended as why are you making this obvious question?. Naturally, the question is incomplete and what remains is just why containing the whole meaning.

Examples:

Stai insinuando che ho copiato durante il test? Ma dai, certo che no!
Are you implying that I cheated on the test? Why, of course not!

Ci ha provato con tua moglie? Suvvia, non dire stupidaggini!
Did he flirt with your wife? Why, don’t be silly!

Note that suvvia has now become an old-fashioned word. Indeed, you can find it only in very formal contexts. Nevertheless, the most widespread form is su which lost a part of its components over the years. This interjection is used to exhort somebody to do something by the way.

10. Beh / Che dire

Also beh and che dire have the same meaning and use of the exclamations mentioned earlier. Besides that, they still remain valid alternatives to why in Italian when you are sick of employing why repeatedly.

Examples:

Se sono favorevole al matrimonio omosessuale? Beh, certo!
Am I in favor of same-sex marriage? Why, yes! Of course, I am!

Devono venire anche loro con noi? Che dire, mi sembra ovvio!
Are they coming with us, too? Why, absolutely! It’s pretty clear!

Why in Italian: the indirect interrogative clauses

Why and Because in Italian: the indirect interrogative clauses

Perhaps you already know that some words like how and why must be repeated when replying to questions. In this regard, we are talking about indirect interrogative clauses, primarily existing in the reported speech.

To better understand, this type of subordinate indirectly reports the question word in the answer.

Examples:

Non so perché se ne siano andati via così presto.
I don’t know why they left so early.

Dimmi perché hai disdetto la prenotazione all’ultimo minuto!
Tell me why you canceled our reservation at the last minute!

How to reply to questions: Why and Because in Italian.

This last paragraph might be unuseful to you. Apart from that, I’d like to say a few words on the topic in question anyway. As you know, one of the differences between the English and Italian languages is the use of why and because. In English, why is applied in questions, whereas because in answers. On the contrary, why in Italian is used both in questions and answers. For this reason, Italians usually make mistakes concerning the proper use of why and because in English.

Examples:

Perché stai piangendo, piccolina? – Perché mi manca mamma!
Why are you crying, sweetheart? – Because I miss my mum!

Perché non sei partito con lei? – Perché ieri ci siamo lasciati.
Why didn’t you go with her? – Because we broke up yesterday.

Learned how to build sentences with why in Italian? Well, now try to ask your Italian friend come mai you haven’t heard from him recently!

By: Alfonso Di Somma

Born and raised in Italy, he is an Italian professional translator and a tireless traveler. His main passion? Foreign languages!

August 7, 2021/by Alfonso Di Somma

Italian Grammar

Italian Indirect Object Pronouns – A Simple Guide

Italian indirect object pronouns and Italian Direct Object Pronouns can be difficult to understand if you are learning Italian. Before starting, let’s make clear what a pronoun is: a pronoun is a variable part of speech that can be used to replace a part of the previous text; replace part of the subsequent text; refer to an element of the context in which the discourse takes place, which is implied.

What Is An Indirect Object in Italian?

Italian Indirect Object Pronouns are the receiver of the verb’s action. An Indirect Object tells whom the action described by the verb is directed to, performed for or intended to benefit or harm. The Indirect Object also indicates the person or thing that receives the direct object. The basic construction of Italian Indirect Object Pronouns works with Subject + verb + direct object + indirect object.

Here is an example of the formula in action:

Ho regalato una sciarpa di cashmere a Federico.
I gave Federico a cashmere scarf.

In the above example the cashmere scarf is the direct object, and the indirect object is Federico, because he is the person I gave the scarf to. When someone or something receives what is being given, that word is the indirect object.

While direct objects answer the questions what? or whom?, indirect objects answer the questions to whom? or to what?.

Not so bad, right?

See some other examples below:

Dovresti chiedere scusa alla tua compagna di banco.
You should apologize to your classmate.

Uno spasimante segreto ha fatto recapitare un mazzo di fiori a Paola.
A secret admirer sent Paola a bouquet of flowers.

Hanno consegnato alle autorità una zanna d’avorio importata illegalmente.
They handed over an illegally-imported ivory tusk to the authorities.

Quell’associazione offre rifugio ai cani randagi.
That association gives shelter to stray dogs.

As you can see, an indirect object can be one or several words. It can be:

A Noun

L’appartamento è stato intestato ai figli per evitare la tassa di successione
The apartment was assigned to their children to avoid estate tax

A Proper Noun

Ho confidato tutti i miei segreti a Caterina
I confided all my secrets to Caterina

A Noun Phrase

Giovanni ha dato una mano di bianco a tutte le pareti di casa
Giovanni gave every wall in the house a new coat of paint

A Pronoun

Sara mi ha offerto un caffè
Sara offered me a cup of coffee

Before proceeding, yuo can find interesting the following grammar books:

Difference Between Direct And Indirect Objects

Before we go into further detail, it is crucial to understand the difference between direct and indirect objects. To identify whether an object is direct or indirect, look at what the different elements do in a sentence.

To find a direct object, ask yourself what? or who? is being affected by the action described by the verb. The direct object gets acted upon by the verb.

For example:

Daniele vuole scrivere una lettera a Babbo Natale.
Daniele wants to write a letter to Santa Claus.

What is it that Daniele wants to write? He wants to write a letter. That’s the direct object. To find an indirect object, ask yourself to whom the verb’s action is done. The indirect object receives the direct object. To whom does Daniele want to write a letter? Who is going to receive the letter? Santa Claus.

If you ask yourself these simple questions, identifying direct and indirect objects will be a breeze.

When Do I Use An Indirect Object Pronoun In Italian?

Indirect object pronouns, called pronomi indiretti in Italian, are used instead of nouns or noun phrases to show the person or thing the action described by the verb is done to. In other words, they replace indirect object nouns, to avoid repetition.

Let’s look at the following examples:

Mio cugino Marco si laurea giovedì prossimo. Regalerò a mio cugino Marco uno smartwatch.
My cousin Marco is graduating next Thursday. I’ll give my cousin Marco a smartwatch.

Mio cugino Marco si laurea giovedì prossimo. Gli regalerò uno smartwatch.
My cousin Marco is graduating next Thursday. I’ll give him a smartwatch.

In the above examples, the indirect object is my cousin Marco, because he is the person to whom the smartwatch is intended. Gli (to him, him) is an indirect object pronoun, and we use it to avoid repeating my cousin Marco again. Using an indirect object pronoun instead of repeating the noun over and over again makes the sentence much more readable and fluid.

Remember that only transitive verbs can have indirect objects. What’s a transitive verb, you ask? A transitive verb is one that describes an action that carries over from the subject to an object. It needs to exerts its action on an object, otherwise it can’t function.

How do I use an indirect object pronoun in Italian?

There are two types of indirect object pronouns in Italian: unstressed and stressed ones. We’ll start by looking at what they are, and then at how to use them.

Unstressed Indirect Object Pronouns

Here is what unstressed indirect object pronouns look like:

MI – to me, me

Example:

Pietro mi deve venti dollari.
Pietro owes me twenty dollars.

TI– to you, you

Example:

Ti piace sciare?
Do you like skiing?

GLI – to him, him

Example:

Elena non gli ha più telefonato.
Elena didn’t call him again.

LE – to her, her

Example:

Le ho dato il mio numero di telefono.
I gave her my phone number.

LE – to you, you (formal)

Example:

Le dispiace chiudere la finestra, signor Brunetti?
Do you mind closing the window, Mr. Brunetti?

CI – to us, us

Example:

Ci stanno nascondendo qualcosa.
They are hiding something from us.

VI – to you all, you all

Example:

Vi porgiamo i nostri più cordiali saluti.
We would like to extend our kindest regards.

GLI, LORO – to them, them

You can use either gli or loro to say to them/ them:

Examples:

L’allenatore gli ha fatto i complimenti.
The coach congratulated them.

L’allenatore ha fatto loro i complimenti.
The coach congratulated them.

Note that:

Unlike English, unstressed indirect object pronouns precede the conjugated verb, with the exception of loro (to them), which follows the verb.
Unlike direct object pronouns, unstressed indirect object pronouns can’t drop their vowels and shorten before an “h” or a vowel.

Stressed Indirect Object Pronouns

Here is what stressed indirect object pronouns look like:

a me – (to) me
a te – (to) you
a lui – (to) him
a lei – (to) her
a Lei – (to) you (formal)
a noi – (to) us
a voi– (to) you all
a loro – (to) them

Stressed indirect object pronouns are used to emphasize that you mean a specific person and not somebody else and they are usually located after the conjugated verb, but can also be placed before.

Let’s look at some examples:

A me onestamente non piace.
I don’t like it, to be honest.

L’ho chiesto a te, non a Rossella!
I asked you, not Rossella!

NOTE:

There is one main difference between Italian and English: while in English “to” can be omitted, the preposition a (to) is always to be used before a stressed indirect object pronoun in Italian.

Indirect Object Pronouns In The Imperative

With the imperative (imperativo), the unstressed indirect object pronoun gets tacked to the end of the verb to make a single word. For example:

Ti manca Arianna? Telefonale!
Do you miss Arianna? Call her!

Sono al verde! Prestami dieci dollari, per favore.
I’m broke! Lend me ten dollars, please.

Restituiscigli subito le chiavi del furgone.
Give him back the van keys immediately.

With short verbs, like dare (to give) and dire (to tell, to say), you have to double the consonant the pronoun starts with. Mi (to me, me) becomes -mmi, ti (to you, you) becomes -tti and so on. For example:

Dimmi l’ora, per favore.
Tell me the time, please.

Vai dalla nonna e dalle un bacio!
Go to grandma and give her a kiss!

Note that indirect object pronouns always come before the Lei form and don’t join onto the verbs. For example:

Mi dica, signora.
Tell me, ma’am.

Mi dia sei kiwi, per favore.
Give me six kiwis, please

Indirect Object Pronouns In The Infinitive Verbs

With the infinitive (infinito), the unstressed indirect object pronoun joins with it to make a single word, and the final -e of the verb is dropped. Some examples will make it clearer:

Come fai a telefonargli se non hai il suo numero?
How can you call him if you don’t have his number?

Se hai bisogno di parlarmi, chiamami dopo le otto.
If you need to talk to me, call me after eight.

Indirect Object Pronouns With The Modal Verbs

With modal verbs, the unstressed indirect object pronouns can either precede the conjugated verb or be attached to the end of the infinitive. See some examples below:

Vi devo parlare urgentemente / Devo parlarvi urgentemente
I need to talk to you urgently.

Ti posso fare una domanda? / Posso farti una domanda?
May I ask you a question?

Io e Andrea dobbiamo andare all’aeroporto, ci puoi dare un passaggio? / Io e Andrea dobbiamo andare all’aeroporto, puoi darci un passaggio?
Andrea and I have to go to the airport, can you give us a lift?

Common Verbs With Indirect Object In Italian

As you may have already guessed from the above examples, indirect object pronouns are usually paired with Italian verbs that have to do with giving. Here is a list of the most common ones:

Dare (to give)
Offrire (to offer)
Consegnare (to deliver)
Regalare (to give as a gift)
Restituire (to give back)
Prestare (to lend)
Mandare (to send)
Portare (to bring)

Indirect object pronouns are also paired with verbs that have to do with communicating. Here they are:

Parlare (to talk, to speak)
Dire (to say, to tell)
Spiegare (to explain)
Chiedere (to ask)
Rispondere (to answer)
Scrivere (to write)
Insegnare (to teach)
Consigliare (to suggest)
Telefonare (to call)

How To Use Indirect And Direct Object Pronouns Together

Italian unstressed indirect and direct object pronouns can be used together. The indirect object pronoun goes before the direct object one.

Note that the following indirect object pronouns have a change in spelling when used with a direct object pronoun:

mi (to me, me) → me

Example:

Non me lo aspettavo.
I didn’t expect it.

ti (to you, you) → te

Example:

Te la farò pagare!
I’ll make you pay for that!

ci (to us, us) → ce

Example:

La nonna ha preparato le polpette e ce le ha fatte assaggiare.
Grandma made meatballs and made us taste them.

vi (to you, you) → ve

Example:

Ve lo siete meritato!
You deserved it!

What about the other ones? When using the indirect object pronouns le (to her) and gli (to him, to them) with la (her), lo (him), li (them) and le (them), just follow this simple rule:

gli/le + la → gliela
gli/le + lo → glielo
gli/le + le→ gliele
gli/le + li → glieli

Some examples will make it clearer:

Se fossi in te, gliela avrei fatta pagare cara.
If I were you, I would have made him pay dearly for it.

Sono anni che glielo ripeto, ma non mi dà ascolto.
I have been repeating it to her for years, but she doesn’t listen to me.

I bambini avevano raccolto da terra delle cartacce. Gliele ho tolte subito di mano.
The children had collected litter from the ground. I immediately took them from their hands.

Se me li avessero chiesti, glieli avrei prestati.
If they had asked me, I would have lent them to them.

Note that:

When a sentence contains a modal verb and an infinitive, indirect and direct object pronouns can either precede the conjugated verb or join together and get tacked to the end of the infinitive to make a single word. As mentioned previously, you have to take off the final -e of the infinitive. For example:

Non me li vuole comprare / Non vuole comprarmeli.
She doesn’t want to buy them to me.

Conclusion

Feeling overwhelmed by all these pronouns? Don’t worry if you don’t fully get it at first. Find a good balance of study through exercise and real-life practice, and, trust me, the Italian indirect object pronouns will begin to come naturally.

Practice makes perfect!

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

January 20, 2020/by Lucia

Italian Grammar

Italian Direct Object Pronouns – A Quick Guide

Italian direct object pronouns can be very tricky to learn. In linguistics, the pronoun is a variable part of speech that has the following functions: to replace a part of the previous text; replace part of the subsequent text; refer to an element of the context in which the discourse takes place, which is implied.

We have already seen the Italian Indirect Object Pronouns here, if you want to repeat them.

Now we will see Italian Direct Object Pronouns:

What Are Direct Object Pronouns?

The direct object is the element of a sentence which is directly involved in or affected by the action described by a verb. In other words, it gets acted upon by a verb, and answers the questions what? or whom? The basic construction is Subject + verb + direct object.

Here is an examples of the formula in action:

La ragazza mangia gli spaghetti.
the girl eats spaghetti.

Here, the subject is la ragazza (the girl) , and the verb is mangia (eat). What is the girl eating? Spaghetti. So, spaghetti is the direct object, because it receives the action of the verb in question.

Easy, right?

See some other examples below:

Alessandro suona il basso.
Alessandro plays the bass guitar.
What does Alessandro play? The bass guitar (il basso), so it will be the direct object.

Adoro viaggiare.
I love traveling.
What do I love? Traveling. The direct object is traveling, (viaggiare)

Antonella sta lavando i piatti.
Antonella is washing the dishes.
What is Antonella washing? The dishes (i piatti) are the direct object.

Gianluca legge il giornale tutti i giorni.
Gianluca reads the newspaper every day.
What does Gianluca read? The newspaper (il giornale) is the direct object.

Before proceeding, if you want to repeat grammar, here there are books useful for you.

When To Use A Direct Object Pronoun In Italian?

You might have seen little words in Italian like mi, ti, lo, ci, etc. These words are called direct object pronouns (pronomi diretti). Always paired with transitive verbs, direct object pronouns are used to replace the object of a sentence. This usually happens when the object is made obvious by the context, or has already been mentioned.

Here are some examples:

Mi aiuti, per favore?
Could you help me, please?

Non ti riconosco più!
(Literally: I don’t recognize you anymore!) You’re not the same person I used to know

Chi te l’ha detto?
Who told you that?

But before we go into further detail, let’s take a closer look at transitive verbs.

What Is A Transitive Verb?

The word transitive comes from the Latin trānsīre, meaning to pass or to cross. It describes an action that moves from the subject directly to the object, without making use of prepositions, such as di (of), da (from), per (for), a (to), etc. A transitive verb is one that only makes sense if it transfers its action to something or someone. In other words, it needs to exerts its action on an object.

Without an object to affect or act upon, transitive verbs, like dire (to say), scegliere (to choose), comprare (to buy) and scrivere (to write), can’t function and the sentence that they inhabit would seem incomplete.

Here are some examples:

Valentina ha adottato un cane del canile.
Valentina adopted a dog from the shelter

Ilaria ha scritto una lettera di reclamo.
Ilaria wrote a complaint letter.

Tommaso sta facendo i compiti.
Tommaso is doing his homework.

Ho frequentato un corso di italiano all’università.
I attended an Italian course at university.

Verbs that do not require an object to act upon, like sedere (to sit) and giacere (to lie), are called intransitive.

NOTE: some Italian verbs that take a direct object, such as cercare (to look for), ascoltare (to listen to) and guardare (to look at), correspond to English verbs that are used with prepositions.

In Italian, direct objects are not preceded by a preposition.

For example:

Stai cercando lavoro?
Are you looking for a job?

Sto ascoltando un podcast.
I’m listening to a podcast.

La guardava con circospezione.
He was looking at her cautiously.

How do I use a direct object in Italian?

Italian direct object pronouns can be split into two types:

unstressed direct object pronouns;
stressed direct object pronouns.

Let’s have a look at them.

Unstressed Direct Object Pronouns

Here are the Italian unstressed direct object pronouns:

mi – me (first person singular)
ti – you (second person singular)
lo – him (third person masculine singular)
la – her (third person feminine singular)
La – you (polite singular)
ci – us (first person plural)
vi – you (second person plural)
li – them (third person masculine plural)
le – them (third person feminine plural)

As you can see, direct object pronouns look very similar to reflexive and indirect object pronouns, so try not to get them confused.

Unlike English, you usually put unstressed direct object pronouns immediately before the conjugated verb.

Have a look at these examples to get an idea of how it works:

Quell’uomo mi detesta.
That man hates me.

Ti posso richiamare più tardi?
Can I call you back later?

Sì, lo so!
Yes, I know (it)!

La moto è pronta, la puoi venire a ritirare quando vuoi
Your motorcycle is ready, you can pick it up whenever you want

Che Dio ci aiuti!
God help us!

Vi voglio qui entro le sette.
I want you here by seven o’clock.

Mi piacciono i ravioli con ricotta e spinaci, li mangerei ogni giorno se potessi.
I like ravioli stuffed with ricotta and spinach, I would eat them every single day if I could.

Ti ricordi le nostre insegnanti delle elementari? Certo, le ricordo perfettamente.
Do you remember our elementary school teachers? Sure, I remember them all perfectly.

Italian Direct Object Pronouns – LA , LO , LE , LI

As you can see from the above examples above, la (her/it), lo (him/it), le (them) and li (them) can refer both to people and objects.
As you probably know, Italian grammar has gendered nouns, which means that nouns – even those referring to inanimate objects, places and abstract ideas – can be either masculine or feminine.

There’s no neuter gender in Italian. This can be a strange concept to English speakers, I know.

To translate it into Italian, you need to use lo (him/it) if the noun referred to is masculine, and la (her/it) if it is feminine.
Li (them) and le (them) are the plural equivalents of lo (him) and la (her/it).

Let’s look at some examples:

Ho un biglietto omaggio per lo spettacolo, lo vuoi?
I’ve got a free ticket for the show, do you want it?
Here un biglietto becomes lo because it’s masculine singular.

Hai visto la mia sciarpa? La cerco da mezz’ora! Have you seen my scarf? I’ve been looking for it for half an hour!
La sciarpa is feminine singular, so the direct pronoun to use would be la.

Ho preparato le polpette. Le vuoi assaggiare? I made meatballs. Do you want to taste them?
Le polpette is feminine plural so the corresponding direct object pronoun is le.

Arturo, hai comprato i francobolli? Sì, li ho comprati stamattina
Arturo, did you buy the stamps? Yes, I bought them this morning.
I francobolli is masculine plural, the direct object pronoun is li.

Direct Object Pronouns with NON

When the word non (not) is used to turn an affirmative sentence into a negative one, it goes before the direct object pronoun.

Have a look at the following examples:

Non mi interrompere quando parlo.
Don’t interrupt me when I’m talking.

Non lo sapevo!
I didn’t know!

Perché non le hai avvertite?
Why didn’t you warn them?

The pronouns mi (me), ti (you), la (her) and lo (him) can drop their vowels and be shortened to m’, t’ and l’ before an “h” or a vowel.

Here are some examples:

Chi l’avrebbe mai detto!
Who would ever have thought it!

Gli inquirenti non m’avrebbero creduto.
Investigators wouldn’t have believed me.

Giorgia non ha salutato Lorenzo perché non l’aveva riconosciuto.
Giorgia didn’t greet Lorenzo because she had not recognized him.

Non l’ho ancora letto.
I haven’t read it yet.

However, keep in mind that the plural forms li (them) and le (them) can’t drop their vowel.

Stressed Direct Object Pronouns

Here is what stressed direct object pronouns look like:

me – me (first person singular)
te – you (second person singular)
lui – him (third person masculine singular)
lei – her (third person feminine singular)
Lei – you (polite singular)
noi – us (first person plural)
voi – you (second person plural)
loro – them (third person plural)

As you might have noticed, the stressed direct object pronouns are exactly the same as the Italian subject pronouns (io, tu, lui/lei, noi, voi, loro), except that me (me) is used instead of the first person singular io (I) and te (you) is used instead of the second person singular tu (you).

Stressed direct object pronouns usually go after the verb, and are used to emphasize that you are referring to a specific person and not to somebody else.

For example:

Cercavo proprio te!
I was looking for you! (not for someone else)

Giacomo non guardava lei, guardava proprio te.
Giacomo wasn’t looking at her, he was looking at you.

Sarebbe stato meglio assumere te, non lui.
It would have been better to hire you, not him.

In Italian, stressed and unstressed direct object pronouns are not interchangeable. Using the stressed forms instead of the unstressed ones can generate examples of clumsy Italian. Use the stressed forms only when you want to give emphasis to the person you are referring to.

Direct Object Pronouns In The Passato Prossimo

As you may have already guessed from the above examples, when using an unstressed direct object pronoun with a compound verb, like the present perfect (passato prossimo), the past participle matches in gender and number with it.

See some examples below:

Hai visto Noemi? Sì, l’ho vista ieri a scuola.
Have you seen Noemi? Yes, I saw her yesterday at school.

Hai invitato Roberto al matrimonio? No, non l’ho invitato.
Have you invited Roberto to your wedding? No, I haven’t invited him.

Hai visto Francesca e Simona? Sì, le ho viste ieri in palestra.
Have you seen Francesca and Simona? Yes, I saw them yesterday at the gym.

Hai invitato Davide e Leonardo al pranzo di Natale? Sì, li ho invitati. Have you invited Davide and Leonardo to the Christmas Lunch? Yes, I’ve invited them.

Italian Direct Object Pronouns In All The Italian Tenses

The same goes with all the other compound tenses, like the past perfect (trapassato prossimo), future perfect tense (futuro anteriore), perfect conditional (condizionale passato), past subjunctive (congiuntivo passato) and pluperfect subjunctive (congiuntivo trapassato).

Let’s look at some examples:

PAST PERFECT

Matteo aveva prenotato il volo due giorni prima di partire. → Matteo lo aveva prenotato due giorni prima di partire.
Matteo had booked the flight two days before leaving. → Matteo had booked it two days before leaving.

FUTURE PERFECT TENSE

Dopo che avrai finito i compiti, potrai andare a giocare al parco. → Dopo che li avrai finiti, potrai andare a giocare al parco.
After you will have finished your homework, you can go play in the park → After you will have finished it, you can go play in the park

PERFECT CONDITIONAL

Avrei voluto salutare Silvia prima che partisse. → L’avrei voluta salutare prima che partisse.
I would have liked to say goodbye to Silvia before she left → I would have liked to say goodbye to her before she left

PAST SUBJUNCTIVE

Non credo che l’abbiano fatto apposta.
I don’t think they did it on purpose.

PLUPERFECT SUBJUNCTIVE

Se l’avessi saputo, te l’avrei detto.
If I had known it, I would have told you.

Italian Direct Object Pronouns In The Imperative

When you are using the imperative, the unstressed direct object pronoun joins with the verb to make a single word.

Some examples will make it clearer:

Aiutami!
Help me!

Ha telefonato il commercialista, richiamalo!
The accountant called, call him back!

Lasciali stare!
Leave them alone!

Devo chiamare i soccorsi? Sì, chiamali subito.
Should I call 911? Yes, please, call it right away.

NOTE: With short verbs, like fare (to do) and dire (to tell, to say), you have to double the consonant the pronoun starts with. For example:

Dillo al medico!
Tell the doctor!

Luca, falla finita!
Stop it, Luca!

Fallo subito!
Do it now!

Italian Direct Object Pronouns In The Infinitive

With the infinitive (infinito), the unstressed direct object pronoun gets tacked to the end of it to make a single word. You just need to take off the final -e of the verb.

Here are some examples

Come fai a dirlo?
How can you say that?

Venite a trovarmi!
Come visit me!

Italian Direct Object Pronouns With Modal Verbs

With modal verbs, the direct object pronouns can either be attached to the end of the infinitive or precede the conjugated verb. For example:

Non vi posso accompagnare / Non posso accompagnarvi.
I can’t come with you.

Non li volevo disturbare all’ora di cena / Non volevo disturbarli all’ora di cena.
I didn’t want to disturb them at dinnertime.

Conclusions

There is a lot to take in here, I know, but I hope this has given you a solid foundation for using Italian stressed and unstressed direct object pronouns in all kinds of different situations. Practice a little every day and learning how to use them will be a breeze!

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

January 4, 2020/by Lucia

Italian Grammar

Italian Future Tense – How To Talk About Future Events In Italian

TheÂ future tenseÂ inÂ ItalianÂ is used to express an action that has yet to happen.

What is Italian Future Tense?

The Italian Future Tense is the equivalent of the English construction with â€œwillâ€ and â€œgoing toâ€ and is made by changing the final part of the verb. For instance, the simple future tense of parlo (I talk) becomes parlerÃ² (I will talk). There are two future tenses in Italian: Futuro semplice (Simple Future Tense) and Futuro anteriore (Future Perfect) that are used in different situations.

Examples:

Giorgio arriva oggi. â†’ Giorgio arriverÃ tra un mese.
Giorgio arrives today â†’ Giorgio will arrive next month.

Oggi torno a Roma. â†’ Il mese prossimo tornerÃ² a Roma.
I go back to Rome today â†’ Iâ€™m going back to Rome next month.

When To Use The Italian Future Simple Tense

The Italian futuro semplice and futuro anteriore are used in different situations. The future simple is the easiest to understand. Itâ€™s used to talk about an action that hasnâ€™t happened yet.

Examples:

Pranzeremo alle 13.
Weâ€™ll have lunch at 1pm.

SarÃ² in vacanza tra una settimana.
Iâ€™ll be on holiday next week.

Se non vuole venire, partirÃ² da solo.
If he doesnâ€™t want to come, Iâ€™ll go alone.

If you want to refresh your Italian Grammar skills, I also suggest these books to you:

How Do I Make The Simple Future Tense In Italian?

You can form the futuro semplice of regular verbs by adding the following endings to the root of the verb, according to the three conjugations:

-are conjugation: -erÃ², -erai, -erÃ , -eremo, -erete, -eranno
-ere conjugation: -erÃ², -erai, -erÃ , -eremo, -erete, -eranno
-ire conjugation: -irÃ², -irai, -irÃ , -iremo, -irete, -iranno

subject	PARLARE (to talk)	LEGGERE (to read)	PARTIRE (to depart)
io	parl-erÃ²	legg-erÃ²	part-irÃ²
tu	parl-erai	legg-erai	part-irai
lui/lei	parl-erÃ	legg-erÃ	part-irÃ
noi	parl-eremo	legg-eremo	part-iremo
voi	parl-erete	legg-erete	part-irete
loro	parl-eranno	legg-eranno	part-iranno

The Italian futuro semplice (future simple) is usually accompanied by marker words such as:

domani (tomorrow),
la prossima settimana (next week),
tra due/tre mesi (in two/three months).

Simple Future Tense Of The Verbs Essere And Avere

Letâ€™s now see how to conjugate the irregular auxiliary verbs essere and avere in futuro semplice. The Future Simple corresponds to the English: I will be/have, you will be/have, he will be/haveâ€¦ and so on:

ESSERE (to be)	AVERE (to have)
io sarÃ²	io avrÃ²
tu sarai	tu avrai
lui/lei sarÃ	lui/lei avrÃ
noi saremo	noi avremo
voi sarete	voi avrete
loro saranno	loro avranno

Other Uses Of The Simple Future Tense In Italian

Sometimes, in Italian language other situations require the use of the futuro semplice:

Command

You use the future simple to express an orderand make it sound less authoritative and strong than when using the imperative mood.

Examples:

Mi farai sapere com’Ã¨ andata.
You will tell me how it goes.

Pulirai tu la cucina.
You will clean the kitchen.

Hypothesis

Or to express a hypothesis, a doubt or a guess:

Examples:

Hai lavorato tutto il giorno, sarai stanco.
You worked all day, youâ€™ll be (you must be) tired

Sono sicuro che sarete dei bravi genitori.
Iâ€™m sure you will be great as parents

Che ore sono? Saranno le 16.
What time is it? It could be (it will be) 4pm.

The Italian Futuro Anteriore

The Italian futuro anteriore (future perfect tense) generally corresponds to the English construction will be/have + past participle of the verb (i.e. â€œwill have goneâ€).
However, weâ€™ll see how you can also find it in other cases where English uses different tenses.

It is formed by using the future simple of one of the auxiliary verbs essere or avere (to be or to have) and then adding the past participle of the verb (participio passato in Italian)

Examples:

QuandoÂ avrÃ² finitoÂ di fare la doccia, uscirÃ².
When I finish (will have finished) my shower, I’ll go out.

Quando sarai andato via, farÃ² la doccia.
When youâ€™re gone (will be gone), Iâ€™ll take a shower.

When Do I Use The Future Perfect Tense In Italian?

The Italian futuro anteriore (future perfect tense) looks similar to the future simple, but its use is different.
There are three cases where you can use the Italian futuro anteriore:

Anteriority

For future actions that will be finished before another action takes place.

Examples:

Quando avrÃ² finito di mangiare, lo chiamerÃ².
When Iâ€™ll finish eating (will have finished eating), Iâ€™ll call him.

Quando me ne sarÃ² andato, ti mancherÃ².
When Iâ€™m gone (will be gone), youâ€™ll miss me.

Dopo che avrÃ smesso di piovere, usciremo.
When it stops raining (will have stopped raining), weâ€™ll go out.

As you can see from the examples, the future perfect tense is formed by two parts:

the future simple of the auxiliary verb essere/avere and
the past participle of the verb indicating the action, literally translating as will have finished / will be gone / will have stopped.
However, in some cases where Italian uses future perfect, English just uses future simple (or even past tense!).

Uncertainty

The second case where you use the futuro anteriore is to express uncertainty about whether something happened or not, or to make an assumption.

Examples:

PerchÃ© Marco ha smontato la bici? Si sarÃ accorto che Ã¨ rotta.
Why is Marco taking his bicycle apart? He probably noticed (will probably have noticed) that itâ€™s broken.

Temo che non avrÃ riparato la bici per domani.
Iâ€™m afraid he will not fix (will not have fixed) his bike by tomorrow.

Hypothesis

Unlike English, you can even use Future Perfect to make a hypothesis about something that happened in the past and is having consequences on the present moment.

Examples:

PerchÃ© Ã¨ in ritardo? AvrÃ perso il treno.
Why is he late? Maybe he missed his train.

Paolo era molto nervoso, sarÃ andato male il suo colloquio di lavoro.
Paolo was very nervous, maybe his interview went wrong.

The Italian futuro anteriore can be hard to understand and use correctly.
The second and third case we described are probably the trickiest for English speakers.

No need to worry if you feel confused: remember that to make a hypothesis about something that happened in the past, you can also choose to use other words instead of forming the futuro anteriore, such as â€œforseÂ â€“ maybe, perhapsâ€,Â â€œmagariÂ â€“ maybeâ€Â or â€œprobabilmenteÂ â€“ probablyâ€ and use a simpler tense such as passato prossimo.

Examples:

PerchÃ© Ã¨ in ritardo? Forse ha perso il treno.
Why is he late? Maybe he missed the train.

Paolo era molto nervoso, forse Ã¨ andato male il suo colloquio di lavoro.
Paolo was very nervous, perhaps his interview went wrong.

How Do I Make The Perfect Future Tense In Italian?

Here is the future anteriore (future perfect tense), which is formed by using the future simple of the auxiliary verb essere (to be) or avere (to have) + the past participle of the verb expressing the action:

	PARLARE (to talk)	LEGGERE (to read)	PARTIRE (to depart)
Io	avrÃ² parlato	avrÃ² letto	sarÃ² partito/a
tu	avrai parlato	avrai letto	sarai partito/a
lui/lei	avrÃ parlato	avrÃ letto	sarÃ partito/a
noi	avremo parlato	avremo letto	saremo partiti/e
voi	avrete parlato	avrete letto	sarete partiti/e
loro	avranno parlato	avranno letto	saranno partiti/e

When forming the past participle to conjugate the futuro anteriore, the endings of the past participle must change whether it refers to a female, a male or a group of people. The past participle with the verb avere remains unchanged. You will say:

Lui sarÃ andato â€“ He will be gone
Lei sarÃ andata â€“ She will be gone
Noi saremo andati â€“ We will be gone (males)
Noi saremo andate â€“ We will be gone (females)
Loro saranno andati â€“ They will be gone (males)
Loro saranno andate â€“ They will be gone (females)

Perfect Future Tense Of The Verbs Essere And Avere

Letâ€™s now see how to conjugate essere and avere in futuro anteriore.

The futuro anteriore (future perfect) can be literally translated as â€œwill have beenâ€ â€œwill have hadâ€:

ESSERE (to be)	AVERE (to have)
io sarÃ² stato/a	io avrÃ² avuto
tu sarai stato/a	tu avrai avuto
lui/lei sarÃ stato/a	lui/lei avrÃ avuto
noi saremo stati/e	noi avremo avuto
voi sarete stati/e	voi avrete avuto
loro saranno stati/e	loro avranno avuto

Other Uses Of The Perfect Future Tense In Italian

Regarding the Italian futuro anteriore (future perfect tense), weâ€™ve seen that it can have different uses.
This tense is difficult for mostÂ English-speakersÂ since itâ€™s not common in everyday English.

When Italian uses the futuro anteriore, English speakers can use the future, present or even past tenses:

Quando avrai mangiato le verdure, ti darÃ² il dessert
When you finish eating your vegetables, I will give you the dessert.
or
WhenÂ you have finishedÂ eating your vegetables, I will give you the dessert.

If you want to translate this sentence literally, it would be:

When you will have finished eating your vegetables, I will give you the dessert

To understand the futuro anteriore, you need to think that itâ€™s used to talk about a â€œpast futureâ€ event. That is to say, a future event that itâ€™s in the past from the perspective of a later future event. So, from a present point of view it’s a future event, but from the perspective of a later future event, it’s in the past!

Most Common Irregular Verbs In The Simple Future Tense

There are many irregular verbs commonly used in Italian that you need to know if you want to conjugate them correctly. Letâ€™s see first how to form the futuro semplice of irregular verbs. Some irregular verbs drop the vowel at the beginning of the Future Simple suffix. Therefore, when forming futuro semplice the suffixes -erÃ², -erai etc. become -rÃ², -rai, -rÃ , -remo -rete, -ranno. For instance:

andareÂ (to go):Â andr-Ã², and-rai, and-rÃ , and-remo, and-rete, and-ranno
avereÂ (to have):Â avr-Ã², av-rai, av-rÃ , av-remo, av-rete, av-ranno
dovereÂ (to have to):Â dov-rÃ², dov-rai, dov-rÃ , dov-remo, dov-rete, dov-ranno
potereÂ (to be able to):Â pot-rÃ², pot-rai, pot-rÃ , pot-remo, pot-rete, pot-ranno
sapereÂ (to know):Â sap-rÃ², sap-rai, sap-rÃ , sap-remo, sap-rete, sap-ranno
vedereÂ (to see):Â ved-rÃ², ved-rai, ved-rÃ , ved-remo, ved-rete, ved-ranno
vivereÂ (to live):Â viv-rÃ², viv-rai, viv-rÃ , viv-remo, viv-rete, viv-ranno

Some irregular verbs lose not only their endings, but also part of the root, replacing it with â€œrrâ€. Therefore, the Future Simple suffix becomes -rrÃ², -rrai, -rrÃ , -rremo, -rrete, -rranno.

For example:

Venire (to come) â€“ ve-rrÃ², ve-rrai, ve-rrÃ , ve-rremo, ve-rrete, ve-rranno
Tenere (to hold) â€“ te-rrÃ², te-rrai, te-rrÃ , te-rremo, te-rrete, te-rranno
VolereÂ (to want):Â â€“ vo-rrÃ², vo-rrai, vo-rrÃ , vo-rremo, vo-rrete, vo-rranno
RimanereÂ (to remain): â€“Â rima-rrÃ², rima-rrai, rima-rrÃ , rima-rremo, rima-rrete, rima-rranno

Another group of verbs which have their infinitives ending in â€“care and â€“gare, will add an â€œhâ€ before the Future Simple suffix, so that -erÃ², -erai, etc. become -herÃ², -herai, -herÃ , -heremo, -herete -heranno. This is done in order to maintain the hard â€œcâ€ and â€œgâ€ sounds:

Pagare (to pay) â€“ pag-herÃ², pag-herai â€“ pag-herÃ , pag-heremo, pag-herete, pag-heranno
Giocare (to play) â€“ gioc-herÃ², gioc-herai, gioc-herÃ , gioc-heremo, gioc-herete, gioc-heranno

Verbs with infinitives ending in -ciare and -giare will drop the -i from the root when forming the Future Simple. So, for the verb mangiare (to eat), you will not say mangierÃ², but mangerÃ².

Cominciare (to start) â€“ cominc-erÃ², cominc-erai, cominc-erÃ , cominc-eremo, cominc-erete, cominc-eranno
Mangiare (to eat) â€“ mang-erÃ², mang-erai, mang-erÃ , mang-eremo, mang-erete, mang-eranno
Lasciare (to leave) â€“ lasc-erÃ², lasc-erai, lasc-erÃ , lasc-eremo, lasc-erete, lasc-eranno

Other irregular verbs have to be studied by heart because they do not follow any grammatical rule:

Dare (to give) â€“ darÃ², darai, darÃ , daremo, darete, daranno
Fare (to do/make) â€“Â farÃ², farai, farÃ , faremo, farete, faranno
Stare (to stay) â€“Â starÃ², starai, starÃ , staremo, starete, staranno

When forming the futuro anteriore, weâ€™ve seen that you need to use the future simple of the irregular auxiliary essere or avere + the past participle of the verb expressing the action.
Remember that some Italian verbs also have irregular past participle, and may not follow the general rule (form ending in -ato, -uto or -ito).

The advice is to always check whether a verb is irregular or not and which auxiliary it needs in a conjugator online, like .

Do I Really Need To Know The Future Tense In Italian?

Sometimes, in Italian you can use the present tense to refer to the future.
This happens in three cases:

Certainty

When you are talking about something that will surely happen.

Examples:

Luca parte domani e torna lunedÃ¬ prossimo.
Luca leaves tomorrow and comes back next Monday.

Ci vediamo domani alle 9.
Weâ€™ll meet tomorrow at 9.

Sei andato in banca? No, vado martedÃ¬.
Did you go to the bank? No, Iâ€™ll go on Tuesday.

Imminence

To talk about something that you are about to do.

Examples:

Esco e vado a prendere il latte.
Iâ€™m going out to buy milk.

Lascia stare, pago io.
Leave it, Iâ€™ll pay.

Io prendo un cappuccino.
Iâ€™ll have a cappuccino.

”Shall we…?”

Examples:

Vado io?
Shall I go?

Apro la finestra?
Shall I open the window?

La chiamo?
Shall I call her?

For the futuro anteriore keep in mind that in everyday language itâ€™s not wrong to use the futuro semplice instead of the futuroÂ anteriore.

Examples:

Quando Francesca arriverÃ , pranzeremo.
When Francesca arrives (will arrive), weâ€™ll have lunch.

Quando smetterÃ di piovere, uscirÃ².
When itâ€™ll stop raining, Iâ€™ll go out.

You can see that for some upcoming events, especially those that will happen shortly, Italians simply use the present tense.

However, itâ€™s very useful to know how to form the future tense in Italian.

Now that you know how to use the Italian future tense, you can talk with your friends or family about your plans or future travels, hopefully in Italy!

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

December 27, 2019/by Lucia

Italian Grammar

Italian Prepositions – A Definitive Guide with Examples

What is a preposition?

A preposition, in Italian preposizione, is the part of the speech that connects words or sentences, specifying the relationship between them. Italian prepositions are nine: in, con, su, per, tra, fra, a, da, di. The prepositions in, a, su, a, di, da combine into one word if followed by a definite article. Usually Italians use prepositions with articles every time that the noun that follows it requires the definite article, but there can be exeptions.

Example:

Cucina con amore.
He cooks with love.

Con (with) is the preposition that connects the verb cucina (cooks) and the noun amore (love) establishing a relationship of mode between the two.

Before proceeding, I suggest you some books in order to repeat Italian Grammar:

Where to locate a preposition

The preposition can be placed in front of:

1. a name

Example:

la cucina di Maria
Maria’s kitchen

2. a pronoun

Example:

Vado con lui.
I go with him .

3. a verb in the infinitive mode

Example:

Non vedo l’ora di mangiare.
I can’t wait to eat.

4. an adverb

Example:

A domani!
See you tomorrow!

Italian prepositions and articles chart

Italian prepositions are nine: in, con, su, per, tra, fra, a, da, di. The prepositions in, a, su, a, di, da when followed by a definite article, combine into one word.

Di becomes de and in changes into ne before to add the articles.

The l doubles for all the articles with the exception of il.

Here is a chart with the Italian prepositions and articles (articulated prepositions), in Italian preposizioni articolate:

	+il	+lo	+l’	+la	+i	+gli	+le
di	del	dello	dell’	della	dei	degli	delle
a	al	allo	all’	alla	ai	agli	alle
da	dal	dallo	dall’	dalla	dai	dagli	dalle
in	nel	nello	nell’	nella	nei	negli	nelle
su	sul	sullo	sull’	sulla	sui	sugli	sulle

NOTE: Sometimes you can still find the combined version of the preposition con with the articles, such as col (con il) or coi (con i), especially in some common Italian expressions.

Examples:

Col cavolo!
No way!
Literal: with the cabbage!

Ti faccio un regalo coi fiocchi.
I’ll make you a great present.
Literal: I’ll make you a present with the bows.

When to use Italian prepositions and articles?

It is not always so obvious when to use prepositions and articles, but mainly Italians use prepositions with articles every time that the noun that follows it requires the definite article.

Check out this article “Italian Definite Articles Chart: An Easy Guide” to learn more about when and how to use the definite article.

Some examples with Italian prepositions and articles:

Vado alla spiaggia. (alla = a+la)
I go to the beach.

Cammino nel parco. (nel = in+il)
I walk at the park.

L’erba del vicino è sempre più verde. (del = di+il)
The grass of the neighbor is always greener.

Vado dal dottore. (dal = da+il)
I go to the doctor.

La penna è sulla scrivania. (sulla= su+la)
The pen is on the desk.

Meaning of Italian prepositions

Italian prepositions can assume different meanings depending on the context.

Here the most common meanings.

a	at, to, in
in	in, to, into
di	of
da	from
su	on, over
con	with
per	for
tra/fra	between

Let’s take a closer look to each of them.

The Preposition A

a	at, to, in

The preposition a indicates:

1. Location

Followed by a noun it tells you where. It can translate the English prepositions at, to or in.

Examples:

Sono a casa.
I am at home.

Vado al supermercato.
I go to the supermarket.

Vivo a Roma.
I live in Rome.

2. Times and holidays

It can introduce when or how often an action is taking place. It is used with months and public holidays. With the time prepositions and articles are used.

Examples:

A che ora vai in palestra? – Alle 8:00.
What time do you go to the gym? – At 8:00.

Viaggio una volta al mese.
I travel once a month.

Vado in Italia a maggio.
I go to Italy in May.

A Natale pranzo con la mia famiglia.
At Christmas I have dinner with my family.

3. Flavors.

It can express how something is made or the flavor.

Examples:

Mi piace il gelato al pistacchio.
I like pistachio ice cream.

Le tagliatelle all’uovo di mia nonna sono una bomba.
My grandmother’s egg tagliatelle are a bomb.

I miei sandali sono fatti a mano.
My sandals are handmade.

Amo gli spaghetti ai frutti di mare.
I love spaghetti with seafood.

Aim. Preceded by a verb and followed by an infinitive verb it expresses the purpose of an action.

Examples:

Vado a fare la spesa.
I go grocery shopping.

Esco a fare una passeggiata.
I go out to take a stroll.

The Preposition In

in	in, to, into

The preposition in expresses:

1. Position in space.

It is used to say that you are in a place or you are going to a place (usually a country, not a city).

Examples:

Abito in campagna.
I live in the countryside.

Sono in Italia.
I am in Italy.

Vado in Italia tutti gli anni.
I go to Italy every year.

NOTE: Italians use prepositions and articles with names of countries at the plural form (ex. Stati Uniti).
Example: Sono negli Stati Uniti (negli=in+gli)

2. Time.

Usually followed by seasons or years. It can also introduce a length of time.

Examples:

Sono nata nel 1994.
I was born in 1994.

In autunno cadono le foglie.
In Autumn the leaves fall.

L’ho letto in un giorno.
I read it in one day.

3. Ways of transport.

It is used with means of transportation to say how you travel.

Examples:

Vado in macchina, tu vai in treno?
I go by car, do you go by train?

Preferisco viaggiare in aereo.
I prefer to travel by plane.

4. The language in which something is done.

Examples:

Voglio guardare un film in italiano.
I want to watch a movie in Italian.

La Bibbia è scritta in latino.
The Bible is written in Latin.

Questo articolo è in inglese.
This article is in English.

The Preposition Di

The general meaning of the preposition di is of.

It is used in the following situations:

1. To express possession.

Examples:

Il libro del professore.
The book of the professor.

La moglie di Marco.
Marco’s wife.

2. To say who made something.

Example:

Un dipinto di Caravaggio.
A painting by Caravaggio.

3. It means from after the verb essere (to be).

Examples:

Sono di Napoli.
I am from Naples.

Siamo degli Stati Uniti.
We come from the United States.

4. It can say when if followed by days, seasons and parts of the day.

Examples:

Esco di domenica.
I go out on Sundays.

D’estate fa caldo.
During the Summer it is hot.

Guardo la TV di sera.
I watch TV on evenings.

NOTE: You can also say la domenica or la sera with the definite article to express the meaning of every Sunday or every evening.

5. With seasons it is possible to use both the prepositions in and di.

Di can lose the final i when followed by a vowel.

It describes what something is full or made of.

Examples:

Un piatto di vetro.
A plate made of glass.

Una casa di mattoni.
A house made of bricks.

Un bicchiere di vino.
A glass of wine.

Un piatto di spaghetti.
A plate of spaghetti.

6. It is used in comparisons and after superlatives.

Examples:

Sara è più intelligente di te.
Sara is smarter than you.

Marco è meno curioso del fratello.
Marco is less curious than his brother.

Sei la più bella del mondo!
You are the most beautiful in the world!

7. With some verbs and expressions

There are some verbs and expressions that requires the use of the preposition di, such as parlare di (to talk about) or avere il bisogno di (to have the need of).

Examples:

Ho bisogno di dormire.
I need to sleep.

Parliamo della tua squadra preferita.
Let’s talk about your favorite team.

When combined with articles (see the prepositions and articles chart) it can also have the meaning of some.

Examples:

Voglio delle bruschette.
I want some bruschette.

Mangio delle caramelle.
I eat some candies.

The Preposition Da

from

The preposition da indicates:

1. Provenience and origin.

Examples:

Vengo dall’Italia.
I come from Italy.

Torno da Roma.
I come back from Rome.

2. Destination or location

When followed by a name of person or profession da indicates destination or location. Usually it is used with the verbs essere (to be) or andare (to go).

Examples:

Vado da Maria.
I go to Maria’s house.

Andate dal parrucchiere?
Are you going to the hairdresser’s?

Sono dal dentista.
I am at the dentist’s.

3. Length of action.

Da can translate the English prepositions for or since. Da…a… means from…to…

Examples:

Studio italiano da tre mesi.
I have been studying Italian for three months.

Vivo a Venezia dal 2009.
I have lived in Venice since 2009.

Lavoro dalle 8:00 alle 17:00.
I work from 8:00 a.m. till 5:00 p.m.

4. Function.

It specifies the function of the noun that follows.

Examples:

Non uso gli occhiali da sole.
I don’t use sunglasses.

Ho messo il latte in una tazza da tè.
I put the milk into a teacup.

5. By who an action was made.

Examples:

La Divina Commedia è stata scritta da Dante Alighieri.
The Divine Comedy was written by Dante Alighieri.

Ho ricevuto una chiamata dal presidente.
I received a call from the president.

6. Purpose.

It can describe the destiny of something when followed by an infinitive verb.

Examples:

Un libro da leggere.
A book to read.

Cerco un film da vedere.
I look for a movie to watch.

Voglio qualcosa di dolce da mangiare.
I want something sweet to eat.

The Preposition Su

on, over

Su can translate:

1. On or over.

Examples:

Il libro è sul tavolo.
The book is on the table.

Il quadro è sul camino.
The picture is over the fireplace.

Ho trovato un mio vecchio amico su Facebook.
I found an old friend of mine on Facebook.

2. About.

It can introduce the topic.

Example:

Questo articolo è sulle preposizioni italiane.
This article is about Italian prepositions.

3. Around, about.

With numbers it expresses an approximate amount.

Examples:

Cerco un uomo sulla quarantina.
I look for a man around forty.

È alto sui 2 metri!
He’s about 2 meters tall!

The Preposition Con

con

with

Con can indicate:

1. With who or with what

Examples:

Voglio un cornetto con la crema.
I want a croissant with cream.

Vado al cinema con gli amici.
I go to the cinema with friends.

2. The means

How you can do something.

Examples:

Scrivo con la matita.
I write with the pencil.

Vado con la macchina.
I go by car.

3. The way

Examples:

Vengo a teatro con piacere.
I will come to the theatre with pleasure.

La guardò con disappunto.
He looked at her with annoyance.

The Preposition Per

per

for

Meanings of the preposition per:

1. The beneficiary of an action

Examples:

Ho comprato i fiori per te.
I bought flowers for you.

Mario ha preparato la cena per sua moglie.
Mario prepared dinner for his wife.

2. Destination

Example:

Devo comprare il biglietto per Napoli.
I have to buy the ticket to Naples.

3. Reason

It is used to say why an action is taking place.

Examples:

Ho scritto questo articolo per spiegare le preposizioni.
I wrote this article to explain prepositions.

Lavoro tanto per guadagnare.
I work a lot to earn money.

4. Duration of action.

Examples:

Ho vissuto in Italia per vent’anni.
I lived in Italy for twenty years.

Ripeti per 5 minuti.
Repeat for 5 minutes.

5. Ways of communication or transport for things (not people).

Examples:

Parliamo per telefono.
We’ll talk by phone.

Ti invio un regalo per posta.
I send you a present by mail.

The Prepositions Tra/Fra

tra/fra

between

Tra and fra are interchangeable.

The difference in use is related to how it sounds in a sentence.

It is more likely to use tra instead of fra if the word after starts with the letters fr- and vice versa it is better to use fra if the word after starts with tr-. It just sounds better.

Examples:

Tra fratelli.
Between brothers.

Fra treni.
Between trains.

Uses of tra/fra:

1. Meaning in / between.

Examples:

Tra la farmacia e l’ospedale.
In between the pharmacy and the hospital.

Mi siedo tra Francesca e Paolo.
I will seat between Francesca and Paolo.

2. Expressing in how much time something will happen.

Examples:

Sono pronta tra 5 minuti!
I will be ready in 5 minutes!

Andrò in Italia tra due mesi.
I will go to Italy in two months.

Conclusion

As you can see different Italian Prepositions can express different meanings depending on the context.

Prepositions can give problems even at the higher levels, so don’t worry if you still get them wrong after months or years.

I would always suggest to see them in context and try to remember the whole sentence instead of the single preposition.

By: Lucia Aiello

Lucia Aiello is one of the co-founders of LearnItalianGo. Born and raised in Italy, she is a passionate Italian teacher and language enthusiast.

October 4, 2019/by Lucia