{"id":17374,"date":"2016-08-28T20:05:51","date_gmt":"2016-08-28T11:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=17374"},"modified":"2026-05-18T00:05:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T15:05:00","slug":"italian-compound-prepositions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-compound-prepositions\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Compound Prepositions: Del, Al, Dallo, Nella, Sui"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> <strong>Italian compound prepositions<\/strong> (<em>preposizioni articolate<\/em>) are a simple preposition fused with a definite article. Five prepositions fuse systematically: <em>di, a, da, in, su<\/em>. So <em>di + il<\/em> becomes <em>del<\/em>, <em>a + il<\/em> becomes <em>al<\/em>, <em>da + lo<\/em> becomes <em>dallo<\/em>, <em>in + la<\/em> becomes <em>nella<\/em>, <em>su + i<\/em> becomes <em>sui<\/em>. <em>Con<\/em> fuses only optionally (<em>col<\/em> survives), and <em>per<\/em>, <em>tra<\/em>, <em>fra<\/em> no longer fuse at all. The shape of the article follows the same gender, number and sound rules you already use for <em>il, lo, l&#8217;, la, i, gli, le<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Get the italian compound prepositions right and a huge slice of A2 Italian becomes automatic: where things are, where you go, where you come from. By the end you will read the whole 35-cell table, choose between the simple and the fused form, and stop confusing the partitive <em>del<\/em> with the prepositional <em>del<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-toc-17374\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-h-17374 gb-headline-text\" style=\"text-align:center;font-size:24px\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to section<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#what\">What a compound preposition is<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#table\">The full table: 5 prepositions, 7 articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#which\">Which prepositions fuse, which do not<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#simple\">Simple or compound: a scuola vs al cinema<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#del\">Del: preposition or partitive?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#con\">Con, col and the archaic forms<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#titles\">Book and film titles: del Tempo or de Il Tempo<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#da\">Da: the trickiest of the five<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#placetime\">Place and time: the everyday patterns<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian compound prepositions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#mistakes\">Common mistakes English speakers make<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialog\">Dialog: at the Lucca post office<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#related\">Related guides<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"what\">What an italian compound preposition is<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>An italian compound preposition is one word that hides two: a simple preposition plus a definite article, melted together. Italian does not say <em>di il libro<\/em>; it fuses the two into <em>del libro<\/em>. The same happens with <em>a la casa<\/em> to <em>alla casa<\/em>, <em>in il giardino<\/em> to <em>nel giardino<\/em>. The grammar books call these <em>preposizioni articolate<\/em>, &#8220;articulated prepositions&#8221;, because the article is built into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This matters because Italian uses the definite article far more than English, so the italian compound prepositions appear in almost every sentence about place, time and possession. The good news: there is no new selection rule. If you can already pick <em>il, lo, l&#8217;, la, i, gli, le<\/em>, you can already build every fused form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"table\">The full table: five prepositions, seven articles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Five prepositions fuse with the seven definite articles, giving the 35 forms that make up the core of the italian compound prepositions. Read across each row: the preposition stays recognisable, the article changes with the noun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>+<\/th><th>il<\/th><th>lo<\/th><th>l&#8217;<\/th><th>i<\/th><th>gli<\/th><th>la<\/th><th>le<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>di<\/strong><\/td><td>del<\/td><td>dello<\/td><td>dell&#8217;<\/td><td>dei<\/td><td>degli<\/td><td>della<\/td><td>delle<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>a<\/strong><\/td><td>al<\/td><td>allo<\/td><td>all&#8217;<\/td><td>ai<\/td><td>agli<\/td><td>alla<\/td><td>alle<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>da<\/strong><\/td><td>dal<\/td><td>dallo<\/td><td>dall&#8217;<\/td><td>dai<\/td><td>dagli<\/td><td>dalla<\/td><td>dalle<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>in<\/strong><\/td><td>nel<\/td><td>nello<\/td><td>nell&#8217;<\/td><td>nei<\/td><td>negli<\/td><td>nella<\/td><td>nelle<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>su<\/strong><\/td><td>sul<\/td><td>sullo<\/td><td>sull&#8217;<\/td><td>sui<\/td><td>sugli<\/td><td>sulla<\/td><td>sulle<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Two patterns make the table easy. <em>In<\/em> is the odd one: it changes its vowel to <em>e<\/em> (<em>in + il<\/em> to <em>nel<\/em>, not <em>inil<\/em>). The other four keep their first letter: <em>d-<\/em>, <em>a-<\/em>, <em>d-<\/em>, <em>s-<\/em>. Learn the <em>in<\/em> row separately and the rest of the italian compound prepositions fall out automatically from the article rules.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Il pacco \u00e8 <strong>nell&#8217;<\/strong>armadio <strong>dell&#8217;<\/strong>ingresso.<\/em><br>The parcel is in the hall cupboard.<\/li>\n<li><em>Vengo <strong>dalla<\/strong> stazione di Lucca.<\/em><br>I am coming from the Lucca station.<\/li>\n<li><em>Le chiavi sono <strong>sul<\/strong> tavolo <strong>della<\/strong> cucina.<\/em><br>The keys are on the kitchen table.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"which\">Which prepositions fuse, which do not<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Not every preposition becomes an italian compound preposition. Three groups, from &#8220;always&#8221; to &#8220;never&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Always fuse:<\/strong> <em>di, a, da, in, su<\/em>. These are the core five and they always combine: <em>del, al, dal, nel, sul<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Optional, mostly not:<\/strong> <em>con<\/em>. Modern Italian prefers <em>con il, con la<\/em>; only <em>col<\/em> (con + il) is still common, especially in set phrases.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Never fuse today:<\/strong> <em>per, tra, fra<\/em>. You always write <em>per il, tra i, fra le<\/em>. The old forms <em>pel<\/em>, <em>fral<\/em> are archaic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-focus-which-17374\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udd0d <strong>The five-letter memory hook.<\/strong> Only <em>DADIS<\/em> (<em>di, a, da, in, su<\/em>) gives full italian compound prepositions. <em>Con<\/em> is half-in (<em>col<\/em> only). <em>Per<\/em>, <em>tra<\/em>, <em>fra<\/em> stay apart. If the preposition is not one of those five, write it separately and add the article unchanged.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"simple\">Simple or compound: a scuola vs al cinema<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The italian compound prepositions appear only when the noun actually takes a definite article. Some everyday phrases drop the article, so they keep the simple preposition. This is the choice English speakers find hardest, because English has nothing to map it onto.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Vado <strong>a<\/strong> scuola.<\/em> versus <em>Vado <strong>al<\/strong> cinema.<\/em><br>I go to school. versus I go to the cinema.<\/li>\n<li><em>Sono <strong>in<\/strong> ufficio.<\/em> versus <em>Sono <strong>nello<\/strong> studio del notaio.<\/em><br>I am at the office. versus I am in the notary&#8217;s office.<\/li>\n<li><em>Torno <strong>a<\/strong> casa.<\/em> versus <em>Torno <strong>alla<\/strong> casa di Caterina.<\/em><br>I am going home. versus I am going to Caterina&#8217;s house.<\/li>\n<li><em>Lavoro <strong>in<\/strong> banca.<\/em> versus <em>Lavoro <strong>nella<\/strong> banca di Modena.<\/em><br>I work at a bank. versus I work at the bank in Modena.<\/li>\n<li><em>Vado <strong>in<\/strong> centro.<\/em> versus <em>Vado <strong>nel<\/strong> centro storico di Lucca.<\/em><br>I am going downtown. versus I am going into Lucca&#8217;s old town.<\/li>\n<li><em>Pietro \u00e8 <strong>a<\/strong> letto.<\/em> versus <em>Pietro \u00e8 <strong>sul<\/strong> letto della camera di sopra.<\/em><br>Pietro is in bed. versus Pietro is on the bed in the upstairs room.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>The rule behind the italian compound prepositions here is simple: no article, no fusion. <em>A scuola<\/em>, <em>in ufficio<\/em>, <em>a casa<\/em>, <em>in banca<\/em>, <em>in centro<\/em>, <em>a letto<\/em> are fixed article-less expressions; as soon as the noun is specified and takes the article (<em>la casa di Caterina<\/em>, <em>la banca di Modena<\/em>), the italian compound prepositions kick in and the preposition fuses (<em>alla casa<\/em>, <em>nella banca<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"del\">Del: preposition or partitive?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One form, two jobs, and this trips up almost everyone. <em>Del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle<\/em> are italian compound prepositions when they mean &#8220;of the&#8221;. The exact same forms are partitive articles when they mean &#8220;some&#8221;. Context decides.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>La copertina <strong>del<\/strong> libro \u00e8 rossa.<\/em><br>The cover of the book is red. (preposition: of the)<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho comprato <strong>del<\/strong> pane.<\/em><br>I bought some bread. (partitive: some)<\/li>\n<li><em>Le pagine <strong>delle<\/strong> riviste sono strappate.<\/em><br>The pages of the magazines are torn. (preposition)<\/li>\n<li><em>Ho incontrato <strong>delle<\/strong> amiche.<\/em><br>I met some friends. (partitive)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Quick test: if it answers &#8220;of what \/ whose&#8221;, it is one of the italian compound prepositions; if it answers &#8220;how much \/ some&#8221;, it is the partitive article. The form is identical; only the meaning tells them apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"con\">Con, col and the archaic forms<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the italian compound prepositions, <em>con<\/em> is the borderline case. Historically it fused fully (<em>col, collo, colla, coi, cogli, colle<\/em>), but modern Italian has dropped almost all of these in favour of <em>con<\/em> plus a separate article.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em><strong>Col<\/strong><\/em> (con + il) is still common, especially in set phrases: <em>col tempo<\/em> (in time), <em>col cavolo!<\/em> (no way!).<\/li>\n<li>The others (<em>collo, colla, coi, cogli, colle<\/em>) sound dated; write <em>con lo, con la, con i, con gli, con le<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><em>Per<\/em>, <em>tra<\/em>, <em>fra<\/em> never fuse now. The poetic <em>pel<\/em>, <em>pei<\/em> and <em>fral<\/em> belong to old texts only.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>So the safe modern rule for the italian compound prepositions: fuse <em>di, a, da, in, su<\/em> always; use only <em>col<\/em> for <em>con<\/em>; keep <em>per, tra, fra<\/em> apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"titles\">Book and film titles: del Tempo or de Il Tempo<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>One refined point. When the definite article is part of a title (a newspaper, a film, a book), Italian sometimes splits the preposition from the title to keep the title intact, instead of using the normal italian compound prepositions.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Title kept intact: <em>il redattore <strong>de Il Tempo<\/strong><\/em>, <em>i protagonisti <strong>di La Terra Trema<\/strong><\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>Normal fusion (also correct, often recommended): <em>il redattore <strong>del Tempo<\/strong><\/em>, <em>una scena <strong>della Terra Trema<\/strong><\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Both are acceptable; the fused version is the more natural everyday choice. Outside titles, always use the regular italian compound prepositions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"da\">Da: the trickiest of the five<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Among the italian compound prepositions, the <em>da-<\/em> row carries the most meanings, so it deserves its own look. <em>Dal, dallo, dalla, dai, dagli, dalle<\/em> can mark origin, an agent, a time span, a purpose, and the very Italian &#8220;at someone&#8217;s place&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Origin or motion from:<\/strong> <em>Vengo <strong>dalla<\/strong> stazione.<\/em><br>I am coming from the station.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Agent in a passive:<\/strong> <em>Il pacco \u00e8 stato firmato <strong>dal<\/strong> corriere.<\/em><br>The parcel was signed by the courier.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Time span (since):<\/strong> <em>Pietro lavora qui <strong>dal<\/strong> 2019.<\/em><br>Pietro has worked here since 2019.<\/li>\n<li><strong>At someone&#8217;s place or business:<\/strong> <em>Vado <strong>dal<\/strong> medico, poi <strong>dai<\/strong> nonni.<\/em><br>I am going to the doctor&#8217;s, then to my grandparents&#8217;.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>That last use has no English equivalent: <em>dal medico<\/em>, <em>dal fornaio<\/em>, <em>dai nonni<\/em> all mean &#8220;to or at the place of&#8221;. It is one of the most useful patterns hiding inside the italian compound prepositions, and it always fuses because the noun takes the article. Master this <em>da-<\/em> family and a large part of everyday movement and origin, the real workhorse of the italian compound prepositions, is already under control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"placetime\">Place and time: the everyday patterns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the time you meet the italian compound prepositions in two everyday jobs: saying where something is and saying when. A few reliable patterns cover the bulk of A2 speech.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Position with su and in:<\/strong> <em>Le chiavi sono <strong>sul<\/strong> tavolo, i documenti <strong>nel<\/strong> cassetto.<\/em><br>The keys are on the table, the documents in the drawer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inside a specified place with in:<\/strong> <em>Siamo <strong>nella<\/strong> sala d&#8217;attesa <strong>dell&#8217;<\/strong>ufficio.<\/em><br>We are in the waiting room of the office.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clock time with a:<\/strong> <em>Il treno parte <strong>alle<\/strong> nove e <strong>alle<\/strong> dieci.<\/em><br>The train leaves at nine and at ten.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Possession and description with di:<\/strong> <em>La copertina <strong>del<\/strong> libro, il colore <strong>della<\/strong> porta.<\/em><br>The cover of the book, the colour of the door.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>Notice the clock pattern: time on the hour always takes <em>alle<\/em> (<em>alle nove<\/em>), except <em>all&#8217;una<\/em>, <em>a mezzogiorno<\/em>, <em>a mezzanotte<\/em>. These small fixed habits are where the italian compound prepositions become automatic, because you meet them every single day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Place names add one more wrinkle to the italian compound prepositions. Cities take the bare preposition (<em>a Lucca<\/em>, <em>da Modena<\/em>), but countries, regions and plural place names take the article and therefore fuse: <em>nel Lazio<\/em>, <em>negli Stati Uniti<\/em>, <em>dalla Germania<\/em>, <em>sulle Alpi<\/em>. When a place name itself contains an article (<em>La Spezia<\/em>, <em>L&#8217;Aquila<\/em>), the fused form is the preferred modern choice: <em>vado alla Spezia<\/em>, <em>torno dall&#8217;Aquila<\/em>. So the test stays the same throughout: article present means the italian compound prepositions fuse, no article means they stay simple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet: italian compound prepositions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole system on one card. Keep it open while you write about place and time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>Point<\/th><th>Rule<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Always fuse<\/td><td>di, a, da, in, su + article<\/td><td><em>del, al, dal, nel, sul<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>The in row<\/td><td>in changes to ne-<\/td><td><em>nel, nella, negli<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>con<\/td><td>only col is common<\/td><td><em>col tempo<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>per, tra, fra<\/td><td>never fuse<\/td><td><em>per il, tra i<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>No article<\/td><td>no fusion<\/td><td><em>a casa, in ufficio<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>del two jobs<\/td><td>preposition (of the) or partitive (some)<\/td><td><em>del libro \/ del pane<\/em><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Titles<\/td><td>split or fuse, both OK<\/td><td><em>del Tempo \/ de Il Tempo<\/em><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"mistakes\">Common mistakes English speakers make with italian compound prepositions<\/h2>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Not fusing at all.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Vado a il cinema<\/em>. \u2705 <em>Vado al cinema<\/em>. With an article, <em>di a da in su<\/em> must fuse.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fusing per or tra.<\/strong> \u274c <em>pel parco, tral i libri<\/em>. \u2705 <em>per il parco, tra i libri<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Wrong in form.<\/strong> \u274c <em>in il giardino<\/em>. \u2705 <em>nel giardino<\/em>. <em>In<\/em> becomes <em>ne-<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fusing where there is no article.<\/strong> \u274c <em>Vado alla scuola<\/em> for general &#8220;to school&#8221;. \u2705 <em>Vado a scuola<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Overusing col forms.<\/strong> \u274c <em>collo zaino, cogli amici<\/em>. \u2705 <em>con lo zaino, con gli amici<\/em> (only <em>col<\/em> is current).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<p>For the simple prepositions behind these fusions, see our guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-simple-prepositions\/\">Italian simple prepositions<\/a>. For the same forms used as &#8220;some&#8221;, <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-partitive-articles\/\">Italian partitive articles<\/a>. For the article that gets absorbed, <a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-articles\/\">Italian articles<\/a>. The institutional reference is the Accademia della Crusca note on the <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/uso-delle-preposizioni\/170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uso delle preposizioni<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-task-1-17374\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83c\udfaf <strong>Mini-challenge.<\/strong> Fuse the preposition and article, or keep them apart if there is no fusion. Read each sentence aloud once.<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Il libro \u00e8 (su + il) _____ tavolo della cucina.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Vengo (da + la) _____ stazione di Modena.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Pietro lavora (in + il) _____ ufficio postale.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Andiamo (per + il) _____ parco, \u00e8 pi\u00f9 corto.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Le chiavi sono (in + la) _____ borsa di Elena.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Caterina torna (a + la) _____ casa dei nonni.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<details><summary><strong>Show answers<\/strong><\/summary>\n<p>1. <em>sul<\/em> tavolo \u00b7 2. <em>dalla<\/em> stazione \u00b7 3. <em>nell&#8217;<\/em>ufficio \u00b7 4. <em>per il<\/em> parco (per non si fonde) \u00b7 5. <em>nella<\/em> borsa \u00b7 6. <em>alla<\/em> casa<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialog\">Dialog: at the Lucca post office<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pietro collects a parcel; Caterina works at the counter of the Lucca post office. Watch the italian compound prepositions for place and origin, and the article-less phrases that keep the simple form.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dialog-17374\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Buongiorno, vengo <strong>dal<\/strong> deposito: ho un avviso <strong>per<\/strong> un pacco.<br><em>Good morning, I am coming from the depot: I have a notice for a parcel.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Mi dia l&#8217;avviso. Il pacco \u00e8 arrivato <strong>dalla<\/strong> Germania, \u00e8 <strong>nello<\/strong> scaffale in fondo.<br><em>Give me the notice. The parcel arrived from Germany, it is on the shelf at the back.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Perfetto. Devo firmare <strong>sul<\/strong> modulo o <strong>sullo<\/strong> schermo?<br><em>Perfect. Do I sign on the form or on the screen?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> <strong>Sullo<\/strong> schermo, con la penna. La firma va <strong>nel<\/strong> riquadro in basso.<br><em>On the screen, with the pen. The signature goes in the box at the bottom.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Fatto. Devo anche spedire una lettera <strong>a<\/strong> Modena, <strong>all&#8217;<\/strong>ufficio del notaio.<br><em>Done. I also need to send a letter to Modena, to the notary&#8217;s office.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> La mandi <strong>con<\/strong> raccomandata. Arriva <strong>nei<\/strong> due giorni lavorativi.<br><em>Send it by registered mail. It arrives within two working days.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Pietro:<\/strong> Va bene. Pago <strong>col<\/strong> bancomat, grazie <strong>del<\/strong> consiglio.<br><em>All right. I will pay by card, thanks for the advice.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<p>\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Caterina:<\/strong> Prego. La ricevuta esce <strong>dalla<\/strong> stampante, gliela do subito.<br><em>You are welcome. The receipt comes out of the printer, I will give it to you right away.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Notice <em>a Modena<\/em> and <em>con raccomandata<\/em>: no article, so no fusion. Everywhere a definite article appears, the italian compound prepositions take over: <em>dal, dalla, nello, sul, sullo, nel, all&#8217;, nei, col, del<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" \/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A quiz on the italian compound prepositions, the full fusion table and the simple-versus-compound choice, is on its way. For now, rebuild the table from memory and redo the mini-challenge.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-quiz-17374\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:30px;background:#f4f5f6;border-radius:10px;color:#888\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"font-size:36px;color:#ab2227;margin-top:50px;margin-bottom:10px;letter-spacing:0.3em;font-family:Georgia,serif\">\u00a7<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Seven questions about the italian compound prepositions come up in every A2 cohort. The answers draw on classroom usage and on the Accademia della Crusca note on the <a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/uso-delle-preposizioni\/170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">uso delle preposizioni<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-cp-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is an Italian compound preposition?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It is a simple preposition fused with a definite article into one word: di + il becomes del, a + la becomes alla, in + il becomes nel. Grammar books call them preposizioni articolate. They appear whenever the noun takes a definite article, which in Italian is very often.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-cp-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Which prepositions form compound prepositions?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Five fuse systematically: di, a, da, in, su, giving del, al, dal, nel, sul and their variants. Con fuses only as col (con + il); the other con forms are dated. Per, tra and fra never fuse in modern Italian: you write per il, tra i, fra le.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-cp-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">How do I form the full table?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Take di, a, da, in, su and combine each with il, lo, l&#8217;, i, gli, la, le. The preposition keeps its first letter, except in, which becomes ne-: nel, nello, nella, nei, negli, nelle. The article part follows the normal gender, number and sound rules.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-cp-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is del a preposition or a partitive article?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both, depending on meaning. As a compound preposition del means of the: la copertina del libro. As a partitive article del means some: ho comprato del pane. The form is identical; context tells them apart. Of what is the preposition, how much is the partitive.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-cp-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">When do I use the simple preposition instead?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>When the noun has no definite article. Fixed article-less phrases keep the simple form: a scuola, in ufficio, a casa, in centro. As soon as the noun is specified and takes the article, the preposition fuses: alla casa di Caterina, nell&#8217;ufficio del notaio.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-cp-6\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is col still correct?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes. Col (con + il) is alive and common, especially in set phrases like col tempo and col cavolo. The other fused con forms (collo, colla, coi, cogli, colle) sound old-fashioned; modern Italian writes con lo, con la, con i, con gli, con le.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-cp-7\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Do I fuse the preposition before a title like Il Tempo?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both options are accepted. To keep a title intact you can split: il redattore de Il Tempo. The normal fused form is also correct and often recommended: il redattore del Tempo. Outside titles, always use the regular compound preposition.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"related\">Related guides<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Three guides that pair with the italian compound prepositions, plus an institutional reference.<\/p>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-simple-prepositions\/\">Italian Simple Prepositions<\/a>: the eight simple prepositions behind the fusion.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-partitive-articles\/\">Italian Partitive Articles<\/a>: the same del\/dei\/delle used as &#8220;some&#8221;.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-articles\/\">Italian Articles<\/a>: the definite article that gets absorbed.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accademiadellacrusca.it\/it\/consulenza\/uso-delle-preposizioni\/170\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Accademia della Crusca: uso delle preposizioni<\/a>: institutional note.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\ud83d\udd0d In short. Italian compound prepositions (preposizioni articolate) are a simple preposition fused with a definite article. Five prepositions fuse systematically: di, a, da, in, su. So di + il becomes del, a + il becomes al, da + lo becomes dallo, in + la becomes nella, su + i becomes sui. Con fuses only &#8230; <a title=\"Italian Compound Prepositions: Del, Al, Dallo, Nella, Sui\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-compound-prepositions\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Italian Compound Prepositions: Del, Al, Dallo, Nella, Sui\">Read more \u226b<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1864],"tags":[1023,1090,436,449,1153],"class_list":["post-17374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a2","tag-italian-prepositions","tag-podcast","tag-prepositions","tag-preposizioni-articolate","tag-webcast","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10020"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17374"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60195,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17374\/revisions\/60195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}