Prepositions | WordDive Grammar

9. Prepositions

Prepositions precede other words and indicate relationships between these words.

The following three prepositions cannot be inflected: per, tra and fra.

The prepositions di, a, da, in, con and su can be inflected and combined with the definite article.

EXAMPLES:

di + il ⇒ del di + i ⇒ dei

di + lo ⇒ dello di + gli ⇒ degli

di + la ⇒ della di + le ⇒ delle

Preposition	Meaning
DI	Indicates a relationship between two things. EXAMPLE: *Questa è la macchina di mia sorella*. This is my sister’s car.
A	Indicates direction and also refers to whom something is. EXAMPLE: *Dai le chiavi a Davide*. Give the keys to Davide.
DA	Indicates origin, difference or distance. EXAMPLE: *La scuola è lontana da casa mia*. The school is far from my house.
IN	Refers to something being situated in time and place. EXAMPLE: *Quest’estate vado in Italia*. I am going to Italy this summer.
CON	Refers to the idea with, as well as to the way or means of doing something. EXAMPLE: *Vado in vacanza con la mia mamma*. I am going on holiday with my mum.
SU	Refers to the idea on, as well as to an estimate (about, approximately). EXAMPLE: *Il vaso è sul tavolo*. The vase is on the table.
PER	Refers to the ideas by some means, via and indicates direction, aim or cause. EXAMPLE: *Il treno passa per Milano*. The train passes through Milan.
TRA/FRA	The choice between these two is based on which of the two fits better with the surrounding sounds. They refer to the ideas between, among and in. EXAMPLE: *Carla arriverà fra due ore*. Carla will arrive in two hours.

la macchina di mia sorella