Some other common prepositions - PREPOSITIONS - Easy Learning Italian Grammar

Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

PREPOSITIONS

3. Some other common prepositions

1 One-word and two-word prepositions

As in English, Italian prepositions can be one word or consist of more than one word, for example vicino a (meaning near) and prima di (meaning before).

The following are some of the commonest prepositions in Italian:

prima di before, until

prima di me	before me
prima delle sette	before seven o’clock
Non sarà pronto prima delle otto.	It won’t be ready until eight o’clock.

Tip

When a preposition includes a or di remember to combine these words with definite articles such as il,la and le.

Note that prima di, like many other Italian prepositions, can be used in front of an infinitive (the –re form of the verb).

Dobbiamo informarci prima di cominciare.

We need to find out before starting or before we start.

dopo after

Ci vediamo dopo le vacanze.	See you after the holidays.
Dopo aver mandato l’sms ha spento il telefonino.	After sending or after she’d sent the text she switched off the phone.

Note that dopo di is used with pronouns.

Loro sono arrivati dopo di noi.

They arrived after us.

For more information on Pronouns, see page 40.

fino a until, as far as

Resto fino a venerdì.	I’m staying until Friday.
Vengo con te fino alla posta.	I’ll come with you as far as the post office.

Note that Fino a quando? (meaning literally until when) is used to ask How long?

Fino a quando puoi rimanere?

How long can you stay?

Tip

When a preposition includes a or di remember to combine these words with definite articles such as il, la and le.

fra in, between, among

Torno fra un’ora.	I’ll be back in an hour.
Era seduto fra il padre e lo zio.	He was sitting between his father and his uncle.
Fra i sopravvissuti c’era anche il pilota.	The pilot was among the survivors.

Note that fra di is used with pronouns.

Fra di noi ci sono alcuni mancini.

There are some left-handers among us.

For more information on Pronouns, see page 40.

Tip

fra poco means in a short time, or soon.

Lo sapremo fra poco.

We’ll soon know.

tra is an alternative form of fra, and can be used in exactly the same way

tra un’ora	in an hour
tra poco	soon
tra il padre e lo zio	between his father and his uncle
tra i feriti	among the injured

durante during

durante la notte

during the night

con with, to

Ci andrò con lei.	I’ll go with her.
Hai parlato con lui?	Have you spoken to him?

senza without

Esci senza cappotto?

Are you going out without a coat?

Note that senza di is used with pronouns.

Non posso vivere senza di lui.

I can’t live without him.

For more information on Pronouns, see page 40.

contro against

Sono contro la caccia.

I’m against hunting.

Note that contro di is used with pronouns.

Non ho niente contro di lui.

I’ve got nothing against him.

davanti a in front of, opposite

Era seduta davanti a me nell’aereo.	She was sitting in front of me in the plane.
la casa davanti alla mia	the house opposite mine

Tip

When a preposition includes a or di remember to combine these words with definite articles such as il, la and le.

dietro behind

dietro la porta

behind the door

Note that dietro di is used with pronouns.

Sono seduti dietro di me.

They’re sitting behind me.

For more information on Pronouns, see page 40.

sotto under, below

Il gatto si è nascosto sotto il letto. cinque gradi sotto zero

The cat hid under the bed. five degrees below zero

sopra over, above, on top of

le donne sopra i sessant’anni cento metri sopra il livello del mare sopra l’armadio

women over sixty a hundred metres above sea level on top of the cupboard

accanto a next to

Siediti accanto a me.

Sit next to me.

Tip

When a preposition includes a or di remember to combine these words with definite articles such as il,la and le.

verso towards, around

Correva verso l’uscita.	He was running towards the exit.
Arriverò verso le sette.	I’ll arrive around seven.

Note that verso di is used with pronouns.

Correvano verso di lui.

They were running towards him.

For more information on Pronouns, see page 40.

a causa di because of

L’aeroporto è chiuso a causa della nebbia.

The airport is closed because of fog.

Tip

When a preposition includes a or di remember to combine these words with definite articles such as il,la and le.

malgrado in spite of

Malgrado tutto siamo ancora amici.

We’re still friends in spite of everything.

2 Preposition or adverb?

In English some words can be used both as adverbs, which describe verbs, and as prepositions, which go in front of nouns and pronouns.

The word before is an adverb in the sentence We’ve met before and a preposition in the phrase before dinner.

For more information on Adverbs, see page 160.

In Italian you don’t usually use exactly the same word as both an adverb and a preposition:

prima and davanti are adverbs

Perché non me l’hai detto prima? la casa davanti

Why didn’t you tell me before? the house opposite.

prima di and davanti a are prepositions

Ne ho bisogno prima di giovedì.	I need it before Thursday.
Ero seduto davanti a lui a cena.	I was sitting opposite him at dinner.

Key points

dopo, senza, fra, dietro, contro, verso are used without di, except when followed by a pronoun.

Italian prepositions often have di or a as their second element; Italian adverbs are not followed by di or a.