TL;DR. Italian preposition A covers place (a Roma), time (alle nove), indirect object (a Marco), manner (a piedi), age and price (a venti euro), and many fixed idioms (a posto, a riguardo, a seguito di). With cities A; with countries IN. Trattoria dialogue and 15 idioms.
The italian preposition a is the second most common word in Italian after DI, and its reach surprises every English learner. It shows up when you travel (andare a Capri), when you tell time (alle otto), when you talk to someone (telefonare a Marco), when you describe how you cook (a fuoco lento), and in dozens of idioms that sound nothing like their word-by-word English translation. This guide maps out every role of the italian preposition a at A2 and B1 level, with real examples from Italian homes and offices, the five traps that trip up English speakers, a dialog set in a neighbourhood trattoria, and a collapsible mini-challenge.
Cosa impareremo oggi
👆🏻 Jump to section
- The rule: A in one line
- Place: cities, homes, destinations
- Time: telling the clock, months, periods
- Indirect object: verbs that need A
- Manner, means, style
- Age, distance, price, sentence
- Comparison and similarity
- 15 idioms with A to sound Italian
- Five traps for English speakers
- Cheat sheet
- Dialogue at the neighbourhood trattoria
- Frequently asked questions
The rule: italian preposition a in one line
Think of A as the preposition of destination, relation and manner. It answers “where to?”, “at what time?”, “to whom?”, “how?”, “at what price?”. The word itself is tiny but it links your sentence to a specific point: a place you are heading to, an hour on the clock, a person on the other end of the phone, a way something is done.
A must contract with definite articles when the noun has one: A + IL = al, A + LO = allo, A + LA = alla, A + I = ai, A + GLI = agli, A + LE = alle. Contraction is non-negotiable in writing and speech. Vado a il supermercato is always wrong; it has to be vado al supermercato. A also takes the euphonic form AD before a word starting with A to avoid vowel clash: ad Ancona, ad agosto, ad alta voce.
🔍 Observe A in action:
- Domani vado a Napoli alle sei a trovare mia sorella. Tomorrow I am going to Naples at six to visit my sister.
- Puoi telefonare al medico? Sto a casa con la febbre. Can you call the doctor? I am at home with a fever.
- Questa sciarpa è fatta a mano, a uncinetto. This scarf is made by hand, with a crochet hook.
Place: cities, homes, destinations
The most frequent use of A is to mark a place you are heading to or staying at. Italian splits places into two kinds: small places (cities, homes, specific buildings) take A; large regions (countries, regions, continents, large islands) take IN. This is the first thing to burn in: vado a Roma, but vado in Italia.
Cities and small places
🔍 Observe:
- Il mio ragazzo vive a Bologna, io a Trieste. Ci vediamo nei weekend. My boyfriend lives in Bologna, I live in Trieste. We see each other on weekends.
- La prossima estate andiamo a Lampedusa per due settimane. Next summer we are going to Lampedusa for two weeks.
- Ho un appuntamento a Palazzo Chigi, sai dove si trova? I have an appointment at Palazzo Chigi, do you know where it is?
Home, school, the office
A group of very common places behave like cities: they take A, not IN. These are the words you reach for every day: a casa, a scuola, a letto, a teatro, al cinema, al bar, al ristorante, al mare, al lago, alla stazione, all’aeroporto, all’università.
🔍 Observe:
- Stasera rimaniamo a casa, sono troppo stanca per uscire. Tonight we are staying home, I am too tired to go out.
- I bambini sono ancora a scuola, escono alle quattro e un quarto. The kids are still at school, they get out at a quarter past four.
- Venite anche voi al mare questo fine settimana? Are you coming to the seaside this weekend too?
💡 The A vs IN trap: countries, regions, continents and large islands take IN, not A. So: in Italia, in Toscana, in Europa, in Sicilia, in Sardegna. But a Palermo, a Capri, a Milano. And for buildings with internal spaces: in banca, in farmacia, in biblioteca, in piscina: IN because you enter the space. For open-air destinations: al mare, al lago, in montagna. This is not 100% consistent; some pairs you just learn by exposure.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: place with A
- I’m going to Bologna.
- I live at Marco’s place. (chez)
Show answers
- Vado a Bologna.
- Abito da Marco. (chez = DA, NOT A)
Time: telling the clock, months, periods
When Italian asks a che ora? the answer is always marked with A. Hours take the contracted form with the article (alle otto, because the implicit noun is ore, feminine plural), except for midnight, noon and one o’clock which use the singular (a mezzogiorno, a mezzanotte, all’una). Months use plain A: a settembre, a novembre, ad agosto.
🔍 Observe:
- Ci vediamo alle otto e mezza davanti al cinema. See you at half past eight in front of the cinema.
- Il treno parte all’una in punto, non fare tardi. The train leaves at one sharp, don’t be late.
- Ci sposeremo a maggio, probabilmente a Cortona. We will get married in May, probably in Cortona.
- A quell’epoca abitavamo ancora in un appartamento piccolissimo. At that time we were still living in a very tiny flat.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: time with A
- The shop opens at nine.
- I’ll see you at six.
Show answers
- Il negozio apre alle nove.
- Ci vediamo alle sei.
Indirect object: verbs that need A
Italian marks the recipient of an action with A. This is the indirect object: the person or thing that receives the benefit, the message, the gift. Common verbs that require A before the recipient: dare, dire, scrivere, telefonare, parlare, rispondere, chiedere, regalare, spiegare, raccontare, prestare, mandare, portare, offrire.
🔍 Observe:
- Ho regalato una pianta a mia suocera, così magari la smette di lamentarsi. I gave my mother-in-law a plant, maybe she will stop complaining.
- Hai già telefonato al tuo capo per dirgli che sei malato? Have you already called your boss to tell him you are sick?
- Puoi spiegare ai bambini perché il gatto è scappato? Can you explain to the kids why the cat ran away?
💡 Repeat the A in lists of recipients: Italian obligatorily repeats A before each recipient in a series. Ho scritto a Paolo e a Giorgio is correct; Ho scritto a Paolo e Giorgio sounds wrong to a native ear. The same goes for other prepositions; if in doubt, repeat.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: indirect object with A
- I told the truth to Marco.
- She gave a gift to her sister.
Show answers
- Ho detto la verità a Marco.
- Ha fatto un regalo a sua sorella.
Manner, means, style
A glues together countless expressions that describe how something is done: by hand, by heart, on foot, aloud, in silence, with a specific instrument, in a certain style. Once you see the pattern, you start recognising these everywhere in Italian conversation.
🔍 Catalogue you will hear every day:
- a mano, a macchina, a piedi, a cavallo by hand, by typewriter/machine, on foot, on horseback
- a memoria, a voce alta, ad alta voce, a bassa voce by heart, out loud, in a loud voice, in a whisper
- a fuoco lento, alla griglia, al forno, al dente over low heat, grilled, baked, al dente
- a colori, a righe, a maniche corte, a pois in colour, striped, short-sleeved, polka-dotted
- a energia solare, a gas, a batteria solar-powered, gas-powered, battery-powered
🎯 Mini-Challenge: manner with A
- I came on foot.
- We sing aloud at the stadium.
Show answers
- Sono venuto a piedi.
- Cantiamo a voce alta allo stadio.
Age, distance, price, sentence
A marks specific numeric points in four domains: the age at which something happens, the distance to a place, the price at which something is sold, and (in a darker register) the sentence a court hands down. Pattern: noun + A + number.
🔍 Observe:
- Età: Mio nonno si è risposato a settant’anni, ci ha sorpresi tutti. My grandfather remarried at seventy, he surprised us all.
- Distanza: La trattoria nuova è a due passi da qui, andiamo? The new trattoria is just steps away from here, shall we go?
- Prezzo: Ho preso la stampante a settanta euro in saldo, un affare. I got the printer for seventy euros on sale, a bargain.
- Pena: L’imputato è stato condannato a tre anni con la condizionale. The defendant was sentenced to three years with a suspended sentence.
Comparison and similarity
A small group of adjectives and verbs that express similarity, equivalence or superiority takes A. The pattern is predictable once you see it. Key items: simile a, uguale a, identico a, paragonabile a, superiore a, inferiore a, pari a.
🔍 Observe:
- Questo vino è molto simile a quello che abbiamo bevuto ieri a cena. This wine is very similar to the one we drank at dinner yesterday.
- La nuova versione è identica alla precedente, ma costa il doppio. The new version is identical to the previous one, but costs twice as much.
- Il fratello maggiore è superiore al minore in matematica, inferiore in disegno. The older brother is better than the younger one at math, worse at drawing.
15 idioms with A to sound Italian
This is where the italian preposition a really pays off. Italian packs dozens of idioms into short A-structures that sound natural only once you have heard them a dozen times. Here are fifteen that come up in everyday conversation, grouped by what they express.
🔍 The working catalogue:
- a casaccio at random: Ho messo i vestiti a casaccio nella valigia e sono corso in aeroporto.
- a colpo sicuro without hesitation, straight to the point: Il testimone ha riconosciuto il ladro a colpo sicuro.
- a malapena barely: Con la gamba ingessata cammina a malapena, figurati correre.
- a malincuore reluctantly: Venderemo la casa al mare, a malincuore, ma serve il soldi per gli studi.
- a tu per tu face to face, one on one: Mi sono trovato a tu per tu con il direttore in ascensore.
- a fior di pelle on edge, raw-nerved: Durante l’esame avevo i nervi a fior di pelle.
- a forza di by dint of, from so much: A forza di camminare con le scarpe strette, mi fanno male i piedi.
- alla buona in a simple, unfussy way: Ho preparato un pranzo alla buona, niente di speciale.
- a occhio e croce roughly, approximately: A occhio e croce saremo una ventina alla festa.
- a più non posso like crazy, as hard as one can: Abbiamo ballato a più non posso fino alle tre di notte.
- a volte sometimes: A volte Milano ti sorprende, altre ti sfinisce.
- a caso randomly, at random: Ho aperto il libro a caso e ho trovato una frase perfetta.
- a vista d’occhio visibly, rapidly: Il bambino cresce a vista d’occhio, ogni volta che lo vedo è più alto.
- a posto in order, all sorted: Non preoccuparti, è tutto a posto, non c’è bisogno di chiamare.
- alla meno peggio as best as one can, middlingly: Il concerto è andato alla meno peggio, poteva andare peggio ma nemmeno benissimo.
🎯 Mini-Challenge: A idioms
- Everything is in order.
- She apologised properly.
Show answers
- Tutto è a posto.
- Si è scusata a dovere.
Five traps for English speakers
Trap 1: “a posto” versus “apposto”
These two look and sound almost identical, but only one is right in most cases. A posto (two words) means “in order, settled, fine” and is a fixed idiomatic expression: è tutto a posto. Apposto (one word) is the past participle of apporre “to affix” and only shows up in formal or bureaucratic writing: il timbro apposto sul documento. In everyday use, it is almost always a posto. Even native Italians slip up on this one.
Trap 2: “telefonare a” but “chiamare” without A
Verbs of communication split into two camps. Telefonare, scrivere, parlare, rispondere all take A before the person (telefono a mio padre, scrivo a mia zia). But chiamare, cercare, contattare take a direct object without A (chiamo mio padre, cerco mia zia). The difference is historical and you just have to learn the list.
Trap 3: “a Milano” but “in Italia”
Cities always take A, countries and regions always take IN. English “in Milan, in Italy” collapses the two; Italian splits them. The same logic applies to small islands (a Capri, a Ischia) versus large islands (in Sicilia, in Sardegna). For continents: in Europa, in Asia. For states within federations (US, Germany, Australia) Italians say nello stato di or simply use IN: in Texas, in Baviera, nel Queensland.
Trap 4: “a sentire” / “a vedere” as conditional triggers
Italian has a short construction a + infinitive that means “if/when one hears, sees, reads, etc.”: a sentire lui, non è mai colpa sua means “if you listen to him, it is never his fault”. This construction is colloquial and very frequent. English has no direct equivalent; learners often try to translate it as “to hear” which misses the conditional flavour.
Trap 5: “a riguardo” or “al riguardo”
Both forms exist. Conservative usage prefers al riguardo (“on this matter, in this regard”), which has the article. A riguardo without the article is spreading in journalism and on the web, but careful writers still find it substandard. For formal writing, stick with al riguardo or switch to in merito a, a proposito di.
Cheat sheet
| Function | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Place (city, home, specific place) | Vado a Roma. | I’m going to Rome. |
| Time (clock, month) | Alle otto. | At eight. |
| Indirect object (recipient) | Scrivo a Mario. | I write to Mario. |
| Manner, style | Fatto a mano. | Made by hand. |
| Means, instrument | A gas, a batteria. | Gas-powered, battery-powered. |
| Age | A diciotto anni. | At eighteen. |
| Distance | A due chilometri. | Two kilometres away. |
| Price | A cinquanta euro. | At fifty euros. |
| Sentence (court) | Condannato a tre anni. | Sentenced to three years. |
| Comparison | Simile a, uguale a. | Similar to, equal to. |
Dialogue at the neighbourhood trattoria
Luigi, a seventy-year-old regular, has just sat down at his usual table at Trattoria Da Gino. Anna, the waitress who has known him for twenty years, brings him the menu and they chat. Count how many uses of A you spot.
- 👩🏻 Anna: Buongiorno Luigi, il solito al tavolo vicino alla finestra? Good morning Luigi, the usual at the table by the window?
- 👴🏻 Luigi: Sì grazie, come sempre. E un bicchiere di Sangiovese a temperatura ambiente, non troppo freddo. Yes thanks, as always. And a glass of Sangiovese at room temperature, not too cold.
- 👩🏻 Anna: Certo. Oggi abbiamo i pici al ragù e un coniglio alla cacciatora fatto a casa da mia madre. Of course. Today we have pici with ragù and a hunter-style rabbit made at home by my mother.
- 👴🏻 Luigi: A malincuore passo sul coniglio, oggi devo stare leggero. Prendo i pici e basta. Reluctantly I’ll skip the rabbit, today I need to eat light. I’ll just have the pici.
- 👩🏻 Anna: Come sta sua moglie? L’ho vista alla posta ieri, sembrava un po’ stanca. How is your wife? I saw her at the post office yesterday, she looked a bit tired.
- 👴🏻 Luigi: A dire la verità è un po’ giù, a causa di sua sorella che sta male. Ma si riprenderà. Truth be told she is a bit down, because of her sister who is unwell. But she will bounce back.
- 👩🏻 Anna: Le mando un saluto, quando torna a casa glielo dica. A proposito, sabato qui facciamo la serata musicale dalle nove, viene? Send her my regards when you get home. By the way, Saturday we are having our music night here from nine, are you coming?
- 👴🏻 Luigi: Magari a quell’ora sono già a letto, ma vediamo. A occhio e croce, se mia moglie sta meglio, veniamo volentieri. Maybe by then I’m already in bed, but we’ll see. Roughly, if my wife is better, we will gladly come.
💡 Notice: al tavolo (at the table), alla finestra (by the window), a temperatura ambiente (at room temperature), al ragù (with ragù: food preparation style), alla cacciatora (hunter-style), a casa (at home), a malincuore (idiom), alla posta (at the post office), a dire la verità (fixed phrase), a causa di (because of), a proposito (by the way), a quell’ora (at that time), a letto (in bed), a occhio e croce (roughly). Fifteen A-constructions in under a minute of conversation.
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Frequently asked questions
When do I use A with cities and when do I use IN?
Use A with cities, towns, small islands and specific named buildings: a Milano, a Capri, al Colosseo, al Louvre. Use IN with countries, regions, continents and large islands: in Italia, in Toscana, in Europa, in Sicilia. For enclosed spaces you enter and move around in, IN also applies: in banca, in farmacia, in piscina. The test: if the destination is one identifiable point, it is A; if it is a region or a space you move inside, it is IN.
Is it “a posto” or “apposto”?
In everyday spoken and written Italian it is almost always a posto (two words), meaning “in order, fine, settled”. Example: è tutto a posto. The single-word apposto is the past participle of apporre (to affix) and only appears in legal or bureaucratic language like il timbro apposto sul documento. Even native speakers slip up and write apposto when they mean a posto, but the two-word form is the correct choice ninety per cent of the time.
Why do I say “telefonare a Marco” but “chiamare Marco” without A?
Telefonare, scrivere, parlare, rispondere treat the person as an indirect object and require A: telefono a Marco, scrivo a Marco. Chiamare, cercare, contattare, aspettare, incontrare treat the person as a direct object and take no preposition: chiamo Marco, aspetto Marco. The split is historical and you learn the list by exposure. A useful clue: verbs that imply a message going to someone use A; verbs that imply action on someone use the direct object.
How do I tell time with A in Italian?
Use A with the contracted article because the understood noun is ore (hours, feminine plural). So it is alle otto, alle tre e mezza, alle sette e un quarto. Exceptions for singular times: a mezzogiorno, a mezzanotte, all’una. When you ask, say a che ora; when you answer, say alle + number or all’una. Never say a otto; it is always alle otto.
When does A become AD?
A becomes AD before a word starting with the vowel A to avoid a vowel clash: ad agosto, ad Ancona, ad alta voce. It is optional before other vowels (a Emilio is acceptable, as is ad Emilio in careful writing). Modern Italian uses AD only before A; before E, I, O, U the plain A is standard. Follow your ear: if saying a alta voce sounds awkward, switch to ad alta voce.
Should I repeat A in a list like “scrivere a Paolo e a Giorgio”?
Yes. Italian repeats A before each recipient in a series: Ho scritto a Paolo e a Giorgio. Dropping the second A sounds unnatural to native ears. The same principle applies to other prepositions in lists (in Italia e in Francia; per te e per Maria). If in doubt, repeat the preposition rather than omit it.
“A riguardo” or “al riguardo”, which is correct?
Both are used, but conservative writers prefer al riguardo with the article, meaning “on this matter” or “in this regard”. A riguardo without the article is spreading in journalism and on the web, but careful editors still flag it as substandard. For formal writing, stick with al riguardo, or rephrase with in merito a or a proposito di. In colloquial speech both forms are understood without issue.
Hi Riccardo, I’m not sure about “a fior di pelle” on its own, meaning “nervous, tense”. I believe that it has to be preceded by “avere i nervi” to acquire this meaning. Otherwise it just signifies something superficial, on the skin, or on the surface. Che be pensi?
Avere i “nervi a fior di pelle” is a set phrase. One can also say avere “i brividi a fior di pelle”. For example here.
Otherwise, “a pelle” is used when you have a “gut feeling”.