Prepositions after verbs - VERBS - Easy Learning Italian Grammar

Easy Learning Italian Grammar (2011)

VERBS

19. Prepositions after verbs

English verbs are often followed by prepositions, for example, I’m relying on you; They’ll write to him; He was accused of murder.

The same is true of Italian verbs, which are often followed by prepositions.

entrare in to go into

Siamo entrati in aula.

We went into the classroom.

As in English, Italian verbs can be followed by two prepositions.

parlare a qualcuno di qualcosa

to talk to someone about something

With some verbs the Italian preposition may not be the one you would expect. For example, to in English is not always a in Italian, di is not always translated by of and so forth. The most important ones of these are shown in the examples on the following pages.

For more information on Verbs used with a preposition and the infinitive, see page 141.

Tip

When you learn a new verb, check if there’s a preposition that goes with it, and learn that too.

1 Verbs followed by a

a is used with the indirect object of verbs such as dire (meaning to say) and dare (meaning to give).

dare qualcosa a qualcuno

to give something to someone

dire qualcosa a qualcuno

to say something to someone

mandare qualcosa a qualcuno

to send something to someone

scrivere qualcosa a qualcuno

to write something to someone

mostrare qualcosa a qualcuno

to show something to someone

For more information about Indirect objects, see page 46.

Tip

In English you can say to give someone something. In Italian you cannot leave out the preposition – you have to use a with the person who is the indirect object.

Here are some verbs taking a in Italian when you might not expect it, since the English equivalent either does not have the preposition to or has no preposition at all:

arrivare a (una città)

to arrive at (a town)

avvicinarsi a qualcuno

to approach someone

chiedere qualcosa a qualcuno

to ask someone for something

far male a qualcuno

to hurt someone

giocare a qualcosa

to play something (game/sport)

insegnare qualcosa a qualcuno

to teach somebody something

partecipare a qualcosa

to take part in something

rispondere a qualcuno

to answer someone

rivolgersi a qualcuno

to ask someone

somigliare a qualcuno

to look like someone

permettere a qualcuno di fare qualcosa

to allow someone to do something

proibire a qualcuno di fare qualcosa

to forbid someone to do something

rubare qualcosa a qualcuno

to steal something from someone

ubbidire a qualcuno

to obey someone

Chiedi a Lidia come si chiama il suo cane.

Ask Lidia what her dog’s called.

Quandi arrivi a Londra?

When do you arrive in London?

Parteciperai alla gara?

Are you going to take part in the competition?

Non permette a Luca di uscire.

She doesn’t allow Luca to go out.

For verbs such as piacere, mancare and rincrescere, see Verbal idioms on page 146.

Tip

Remember that you often have to use a preposition with an Italian verb when there is no preposition in English.

2 Verbs followed by di

Here are some verbs taking di in Italian when the English verb is not followed by of:

accorgersi di qualcosa

to realize something

aver bisogno di qualcosa

to need something

aver voglia di qualcosa

to want something

discutere di qualcosa

to discuss something

fidarsi di qualcosa/qualcuno

to trust something/someone

intendersi di qualcosa

to know about something

interessarsi di qualcosa

to be interested in something

lamentarsi di qualcosa

to complain about something

ricordarsi di qualcosa/qualcuno

to remember something/someone

ridere di qualcosa/qualcuno

to laugh at something/someone

stufarsi di qualcosa/qualcuno

to get fed up with something/someone

stupirsi di qualcosa

to be amazed by something

trattare di qualcosa

to be about something

vantarsi di qualcosa

to boast about something

Non mi fido di lui.

I don’t trust him.

Ho bisogno di soldi.

I need money.

Discutono spesso di politica.

They often discuss politics.

Mi sono stufato di loro.

I got fed up with them.

3 Verbs followed by da

Here are some verbs taking da in Italian when the English verb is not followed by from:

dipendere da qualcosa/qualcuno

to depend on something/someone

giudicare da qualcosa

to judge by something

scendere da qualcosa

to get off something (bus, train, plane)

sporgersi da qualcosa

to lean out of something

Dipende dal tempo.

It depends on the weather.

4 Verbs that are followed by a preposition in English but not in Italian

Although the English verb is followed by a preposition, you don’t use a preposition with the following Italian verbs:

guardare qualcosa/qualcuno

to look at something/someone

ascoltare qualcosa/qualcuno

to listen to something/someone

cercare qualcosa/qualcuno

to look for something/someone

chiedere qualcosa

to ask for something

aspettare qualcosa/qualcuno

to wait for something/someone

pagare qualcosa

to pay for something

Guarda la sua faccia.

Look at his face.

Mi stai ascoltando?

Are you listening to me?

Sto cercando la chiave.

I’m looking for my key.

Ha chiesto qualcosa da mangiare.

He asked for something to eat.

Aspettami!

Wait for me!

Ho già pagato il biglietto.

I’ve already paid for my ticket.

Key points

Many Italian verbs are not followed by the preposition you would expect.

There can be a preposition with a verb in Italian, but not in English, and vice versa.