{"id":60872,"date":"2026-05-27T21:12:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:12:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/?p=60872"},"modified":"2026-05-27T21:12:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T12:12:19","slug":"italian-adjectives-with-infinitive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-adjectives-with-infinitive\/","title":{"rendered":"Italian Adjectives + Infinitive: Bravo a Fare (B1)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udd0d <strong>In short.<\/strong> Italian adjectives that lead into an infinitive almost always need a preposition between them: <em>contento di sentirti<\/em>, <em>bravo a soffiare il vetro<\/em>, <em>facile da capire<\/em>, <em>pronto per partire<\/em>. This B1 guide on italian adjectives infinitive will show you which adjective picks which preposition (and why some can pick more than one), so you stop guessing between <em>a<\/em>, <em>in<\/em>, <em>per<\/em>, <em>da<\/em>, and <em>di<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The shortcut English learners use (&#8220;in English I just say <em>to<\/em> + verb, so any Italian preposition should work&#8221;) is the one that gets corrected most often. Italian sorts these adjectives into families, and each family travels with a different little word. Once you see the families, the choice stops feeling random.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We will work through the patterns with a single thread of examples set inside a glassblowing workshop on the island of Murano, in the Venetian lagoon, where Camilla, an apprentice who commutes in from Treviso, is learning the trade from Edoardo, the resident <em>maestro vetraio<\/em>. Glass is hot, fragile, and unforgiving, so you will hear a lot of &#8220;ready to&#8221;, &#8220;good at&#8221;, &#8220;easy to&#8221;, &#8220;happy to&#8221; in one short morning, all of them perfect raw material for studying italian adjectives infinitive.<\/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-adj-inf\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"gb-headline gb-headline-toc-h\">Cosa impareremo oggi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc46\ud83c\udffb Jump to sections<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#families\">Five prepositions, five families of italian adjectives infinitive<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#di\">Feelings and capability: <em>contento di sentirti<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#a\">Aptitude, attitude, striving: <em>bravo a soffiare<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#ordinals\">Ordinals, <em>unico<\/em>, <em>ultimo<\/em>, <em>solo<\/em>: <em>la prima ad arrivare<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#nel\">Manner and skill: <em>abile nel modellare<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#per\">Purpose and suitability: <em>pronto per partire<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#da\">Passive feel: <em>facile da capire<\/em>, <em>delicato da trasportare<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#multi\">Adjectives that take more than one preposition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet of italian adjectives infinitive: which preposition goes where<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#dialogue\">Dialogue: a morning in the Murano workshop<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#challenge\">Mini-challenge: build your own<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#quiz\">Quiz<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"families\">Five prepositions, five families of italian adjectives infinitive<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Picture Camilla on her first day at the workshop with all five italian adjectives infinitive families in play. Edoardo hands her a long iron pipe (the <em>canna da soffio<\/em>) and watches her work. Within ten minutes he has used five different adjective constructions on her: she is <em>brava a<\/em> reggere il peso, <em>pronta a<\/em> imparare, <em>contenta di<\/em> essere l\u00ec, ancora <em>incapace di<\/em> chiudere la bolla, e il vetro \u00e8 <em>difficile da<\/em> domare. Five adjectives, four different prepositions, one beginner trying to keep track. That is the daily reality of italian adjectives infinitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Italian groups these adjectives into families based on what kind of meaning the adjective carries, and that family choice is the heart of every italian adjectives infinitive sentence. Adjectives of feeling and inner capability tend to take <em>di<\/em>. Adjectives of attitude and striving toward a goal tend to take <em>a<\/em>. Adjectives describing how someone goes about doing something tend to take <em>nel<\/em>. Adjectives of suitability for a purpose tend to take <em>per<\/em>. And adjectives that describe a quality the noun &#8220;undergoes&#8221; tend to take <em>da<\/em>. We will go through each in turn, with examples you can steal whole and reuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One useful comparison upfront for italian adjectives infinitive patterns: English collapses all of this into &#8220;to&#8221; or &#8220;-ing&#8221;. <em>I am happy to see you<\/em> = <em>sono contento di vederti<\/em>. <em>I am good at writing<\/em> = <em>sono bravo a scrivere<\/em>. <em>This is hard to chew<\/em> = <em>questo \u00e8 duro da masticare<\/em>. The English &#8220;to\/at\/-ing&#8221; is invisible glue; the Italian preposition is the load-bearing wall. Get the wrong one and the sentence stays standing, but a native ear will hear the wobble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"di\">Feelings and capability: <em>contento di sentirti<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is the largest family of italian adjectives infinitive, and the safest place to start. Any adjective that describes how you <em>feel<\/em> about doing something, or if you can <em>do it<\/em>, takes <em>di<\/em>, takes <em>di<\/em> + infinitive whenever the subject of the adjective and the subject of the infinitive are the same person. <em>Camilla \u00e8 felice di lavorare a Murano<\/em>: Camilla is the one who is happy, and Camilla is the one who works. Same subject, so <em>di<\/em> + infinitive does the job, and you avoid the heavier <em>che<\/em> + subjunctive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The list of italian adjectives infinitive in this <em>di<\/em>-family is long but predictable once you see the semantic core. Adjectives of positive feeling: <em>contento<\/em>, <em>felice<\/em>, <em>lieto<\/em>, <em>fiero<\/em>, <em>orgoglioso<\/em>, <em>grato<\/em>, <em>onorato<\/em>, <em>soddisfatto<\/em>, <em>compiaciuto<\/em>. Adjectives of negative feeling: <em>dispiaciuto<\/em>, <em>mortificato<\/em>, <em>rammaricato<\/em>, <em>addolorato<\/em>, <em>colpevole<\/em>, <em>stufo<\/em>, <em>stanco<\/em>. Adjectives of expectation and emotion: <em>ansioso<\/em>, <em>impaziente<\/em>, <em>curioso<\/em>, <em>desideroso<\/em>, <em>smanioso<\/em>, <em>bramoso<\/em>. Adjectives of confidence and awareness: <em>sicuro<\/em>, <em>certo<\/em>, <em>cosciente<\/em>, <em>consapevole<\/em>, <em>convinto<\/em>, <em>memore<\/em>. Adjectives of capability: <em>capace<\/em>, <em>incapace<\/em>, <em>degno<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 <strong>contenta di<\/strong> lavorare in un&#8217;isola cos\u00ec piccola.<\/li>\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 <strong>orgoglioso di<\/strong> avere un&#8217;apprendista che arriva in orario.<\/li>\n<li>Sono <strong>ansiosa di<\/strong> vedere il primo pezzo cotto del mattino.<\/li>\n<li>Mi sento <strong>incapace di<\/strong> chiudere bene la bolla, ancora.<\/li>\n<li>Non siete <strong>obbligati a<\/strong> restare, ma sarei <strong>lieto di<\/strong> avervi a pranzo.<\/li>\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 <strong>convinta di<\/strong> avere scelto il mestiere giusto.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two refinements worth holding onto for these italian adjectives infinitive cases. First, when the feeling refers to something already done, Italian uses the past infinitive (<em>aver<\/em> + participle, <em>essere<\/em> + participle), not the present infinitive. So Camilla, looking back at her finished vase, says <em>sono contenta di aver finito<\/em>, not <em>sono contenta di finire<\/em>. The past infinitive locks the event into the past relative to the feeling. There is a dedicated guide on this construction linked below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Second, when the two subjects differ, when Camilla is happy that <em>someone else<\/em> arrives, Italian switches to <em>che<\/em> + subjunctive: <em>sono contenta che Edoardo arrivi presto<\/em>. The <em>di<\/em> + infinitive shortcut only works when subject and subordinate match. This is the same rule that governs <em>sembra di<\/em> versus <em>sembra che<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a\">Aptitude, attitude, striving: <em>bravo a soffiare<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The preposition <em>a<\/em> in Italian carries a strong sense of direction or goal (think <em>vado a Roma<\/em>, <em>scrivo a Camilla<\/em>). That goal-flavor extends to adjectives whose action is pointed at an outcome: being good <em>at<\/em> something, being ready <em>for<\/em> something, being inclined <em>to<\/em> something. The action behind the infinitive is treated as a target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Italian adjectives infinitive in this <em>a<\/em>-family include <em>bravo<\/em>, <em>abile<\/em>, <em>abituato<\/em>, <em>adatto<\/em>, <em>idoneo<\/em>, <em>pronto<\/em>, <em>preparato<\/em>, <em>disposto<\/em>, <em>incline<\/em>, <em>propenso<\/em>, <em>deciso<\/em>, <em>determinato<\/em>, <em>attento<\/em>, <em>intento<\/em>, <em>occupato<\/em>, <em>impegnato<\/em>, <em>lesto<\/em>, <em>veloce<\/em>, <em>restio<\/em>, <em>esitante<\/em>, <em>fortunato<\/em>. The English translation will almost always be &#8220;good at -ing&#8221;, &#8220;ready to&#8221;, &#8220;used to -ing&#8221;, &#8220;inclined to&#8221;, &#8220;quick to&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 <strong>bravo a<\/strong> soffiare i vasi pi\u00f9 grandi della soffieria.<\/li>\n<li>Camilla non \u00e8 ancora <strong>abituata a<\/strong> sopportare il caldo del forno.<\/li>\n<li>Siamo <strong>pronti a<\/strong> aprire al pubblico per la dimostrazione delle dieci.<\/li>\n<li>Questa apprendista \u00e8 <strong>adatta a<\/strong> lavorare in un laboratorio piccolo.<\/li>\n<li>Non sono <strong>disposto a<\/strong> vendere i miei calici sotto il prezzo di costo.<\/li>\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 sempre <strong>attenta a<\/strong> non lasciare la canna troppo vicino al fuoco.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-mt-a-fam\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><strong>Mini-task.<\/strong> Fill in <em>a<\/em> in front of the infinitive in these italian adjectives infinitive cases.<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mia sorella \u00e8 abituata ___ alzarsi alle cinque per il mercato.<\/li>\n<li>Siamo pronti ___ ricevere i visitatori della soffieria.<\/li>\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 brava ___ ascoltare i consigli del maestro.<\/li>\n<li>Non sono adatto ___ lavorare otto ore in piedi.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p><details><summary>\ud83d\udc49 Show answers<\/summary><br>1. <strong>a<\/strong> alzarsi \u00b7 2. <strong>a<\/strong> ricevere \u00b7 3. <strong>a<\/strong> ascoltare \u00b7 4. <strong>a<\/strong> lavorare. All four adjectives belong to the &#8220;striving \/ suitable \/ used to&#8221; family, which travels with <em>a<\/em>.<\/details><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"ordinals\">Ordinals, <em>unico<\/em>, <em>ultimo<\/em>, <em>solo<\/em>: <em>la prima ad arrivare<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A small but high-frequency subgroup of italian adjectives infinitive inside the <em>a<\/em>-family: ordinal numbers (<em>primo<\/em>, <em>secondo<\/em>, <em>terzo<\/em>, <em>ennesimo<\/em>) and the three adjectives <em>solo<\/em>, <em>unico<\/em>, <em>ultimo<\/em> all take <em>a<\/em> + infinitive when followed by an action. The sentence pattern is fixed for this italian adjectives infinitive subgroup: noun + ordinal\/<em>unico<\/em>\/<em>ultimo<\/em> + <em>a<\/em> + infinitive. English uses &#8220;the first to&#8221;, &#8220;the only one to&#8221;, &#8220;the last to&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 la <strong>prima ad<\/strong> arrivare in soffieria ogni mattina.<\/li>\n<li>Sei l&#8217;<strong>unica a<\/strong> non avere ancora rotto un calice. Complimenti.<\/li>\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 stato l&#8217;<strong>ultimo a<\/strong> spegnere il forno ieri sera.<\/li>\n<li>Murano \u00e8 l&#8217;<strong>unica isola della laguna a<\/strong> conservare ancora le antiche fornaci.<\/li>\n<li>La terza <strong>a<\/strong> parlare nel corso fu Camilla, che chiese del costo delle materie prime.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notice a small spelling detail typical of italian adjectives infinitive built on <em>a<\/em>. In <em>la prima ad arrivare<\/em> and <em>l&#8217;unica ad ammettere<\/em>: when the infinitive begins with a vowel and we already have <em>a<\/em>, many writers add a euphonic <em>d<\/em> for sound, giving <em>ad<\/em>. It is optional and now considered a matter of taste; <em>la prima a arrivare<\/em> is equally correct. Use <em>ad<\/em> if it reads smoother to your ear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"nel\">Manner and skill: <em>abile nel modellare<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of the same italian adjectives infinitive constructions that take <em>a<\/em> can also appear with <em>nel<\/em>, and the shade of meaning shifts noticeably. With <em>a<\/em>, the adjective points at a goal; with <em>nel<\/em>, the adjective describes the manner or state of the person <em>while<\/em> performing the action. The classic minimal pair, often cited in the Italian grammar tradition:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 <strong>bravissimo a<\/strong> nascondere quel che pensa. Goal: he is skilled <em>at the task<\/em> of hiding it.<\/li>\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 <strong>bravissimo nel<\/strong> nascondere quel che pensa. Manner: he excels <em>in the doing<\/em> of it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The difference between these two italian adjectives infinitive variants is subtle in translation but real in Italian. <em>Nel<\/em> + infinitive belongs to a slightly more formal, often written register, and among italian adjectives infinitive it usually wins inside reports, reviews, and essays. Adjectives that you will most often see with <em>nel<\/em>: <em>abile<\/em>, <em>bravo<\/em>, <em>competente<\/em>, <em>coraggioso<\/em>, <em>deciso<\/em>, <em>efficace<\/em>, <em>esitante<\/em>, <em>forte<\/em>, <em>impegnato<\/em>, <em>lesto<\/em>, <em>occupato<\/em>, <em>sollecito<\/em>, <em>veloce<\/em>. There is also one adjective, <em>concorde<\/em> (&#8216;in agreement&#8217;), that <em>only<\/em> takes <em>nel<\/em>: <em>tutti furono concordi nel respingere l&#8217;offerta<\/em>, never <em>concordi a respingere<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 <strong>abile nel<\/strong> modellare il vetro caldo con una mano sola.<\/li>\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 stata <strong>veloce nell&#8217;<\/strong>imparare i nomi degli attrezzi.<\/li>\n<li>Siamo tutti <strong>concordi nel<\/strong> chiudere la soffieria ad agosto.<\/li>\n<li>Quella commessa \u00e8 <strong>esitante nel<\/strong> consigliare gli oggetti pi\u00f9 costosi ai turisti.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"per\">Purpose and suitability: <em>pronto per partire<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The preposition <em>per<\/em> brings the meaning of &#8220;in order to&#8221; or &#8220;for the purpose of&#8221;. Italian uses this preposition with italian adjectives infinitive that highlight suitability or material readiness for a goal: <em>adatto<\/em>, <em>appropriato<\/em>, <em>efficace<\/em>, <em>necessario<\/em>, <em>preparato<\/em>, <em>pronto<\/em>, <em>sufficiente<\/em>, <em>valido<\/em>. Several of these italian adjectives infinitive also accept <em>a<\/em>, and the shade of meaning shifts in a way that is worth memorising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cleanest pair among italian adjectives infinitive is with <em>pronto<\/em>. <em>Pronto a<\/em> + infinitive describes inner readiness: being willing, being psychologically prepared. <em>Pronto per<\/em> + infinitive describes external, material readiness: bags packed, tools laid out, paperwork done. Native speakers do feel the difference, even when an English speaker would translate both as &#8220;ready to&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 <strong>pronta a<\/strong> imparare anche le tecniche pi\u00f9 difficili. Mental, willing.<\/li>\n<li>Il forno \u00e8 <strong>pronto per<\/strong> cuocere il primo pezzo della giornata. Physical, set up.<\/li>\n<li>Questa cassa \u00e8 <strong>adatta per<\/strong> spedire calici al di fuori dell&#8217;Italia.<\/li>\n<li>Il tempo che ci resta non \u00e8 <strong>sufficiente per<\/strong> finire un secondo vaso.<\/li>\n<li>L&#8217;attrezzatura \u00e8 <strong>necessaria per<\/strong> svolgere il lavoro in sicurezza.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"da\">Passive feel: <em>facile da capire<\/em>, <em>delicato da trasportare<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>da<\/em>-group of italian adjectives infinitive is the most distinctive, and the one English learners most often mishandle. When the adjective describes a quality the noun <em>undergoes<\/em>, when the action behind the infinitive is something done <em>to<\/em> the noun, the italian adjectives infinitive system reaches for <em>da<\/em> + infinitive. Translate this construction with a passive in mind: <em>facile da capire<\/em> \u2248 &#8220;easy to be understood&#8221;, <em>delicato da trasportare<\/em> \u2248 &#8220;delicate (when it comes) to being transported&#8221;, <em>difficile da spiegare<\/em> \u2248 &#8220;hard to explain (by someone)&#8221;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typical italian adjectives infinitive in this group: <em>facile<\/em>, <em>difficile<\/em>, <em>duro<\/em>, <em>impossibile<\/em>, <em>bello<\/em>, <em>brutto<\/em>, <em>buono<\/em>, <em>delizioso<\/em>, <em>commovente<\/em>, <em>pericoloso<\/em>, <em>strano<\/em>, <em>utile<\/em>, <em>raro<\/em>, <em>indecente<\/em>, <em>delicato<\/em>, <em>pronto<\/em> (in the passive sense, <em>pronto da spedire<\/em> = ready to be shipped).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Il vetro fuso \u00e8 <strong>pericoloso da<\/strong> toccare a mani nude.<\/li>\n<li>I calici di Murano sono <strong>delicati da<\/strong> trasportare in vaporetto.<\/li>\n<li>La grammatica italiana non \u00e8 <strong>difficile da<\/strong> spiegare se trovi i giusti esempi.<\/li>\n<li>Questo coppino vintage \u00e8 <strong>impossibile da<\/strong> trovare nei mercatini comuni.<\/li>\n<li>La bistecca di ieri sera era proprio <strong>dura da<\/strong> masticare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two warnings about these italian adjectives infinitive constructions. First, the noun is the implicit object of the infinitive: <em>i calici sono delicati da trasportare<\/em> means someone transports the calici, not the calici transport something. If you reverse the logic, the sentence breaks. Second, you cannot stack a passive infinitive after <em>da<\/em>: say <em>pronto da bere<\/em>, never <em>pronto da essere bevuto<\/em>. The passive sense is already baked in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You will still encounter, in fixed expressions, the older <em>a<\/em> variant: <em>strano a dirsi<\/em>, <em>terribile a vedersi<\/em>, <em>facile a farsi, difficile a dirsi<\/em>. These survive as quasi-idioms. Stick with <em>da<\/em> + infinitive for productive use and you will be on safe modern ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"multi\">Adjectives that take more than one preposition<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A handful of italian adjectives infinitive can pair with several prepositions, and the choice signals a different angle on the same situation. <em>Bravo<\/em> is the textbook case across italian adjectives infinitive: <em>Gianni \u00e8 bravo a scrivere romanzi<\/em> (skilled at the task), <em>bravo nello scrivere romanzi<\/em> (good in the way he writes them), <em>bravo per scrivere romanzi<\/em> (well-suited for the job of writing them). All three sentences are grammatical; each frames the praise slightly differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other multi-preposition italian adjectives infinitive worth noting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Adatto<\/em>: <em>adatto a<\/em> (intrinsic fit), <em>adatto per<\/em> (purpose-built), <em>adatto da<\/em> (rare, almost dialectal).<\/li>\n<li><em>Pronto<\/em>: <em>pronto a<\/em> (willing), <em>pronto per<\/em> (equipped), <em>pronto da<\/em> (passive: ready to be X-ed).<\/li>\n<li><em>Sufficiente<\/em>: both <em>sufficiente a<\/em> and <em>sufficiente da<\/em> work with no real meaning shift, as in <em>ho scritto in numero sufficiente a\/da riempire uno scaffale<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li><em>Buono<\/em>: <em>buono a<\/em> = capable of (<em>non \u00e8 buono ad allacciarsi le scarpe<\/em>), <em>buono da<\/em> = suitable for being X-ed (<em>i cantucci sono buoni da inzuppare nel vinsanto<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are unsure which preposition to pick for any italian adjectives infinitive pattern, the safe default for an action you <em>perform<\/em> is <em>a<\/em>; for an action that is <em>done to<\/em> something, <em>da<\/em>; for an inner feeling about it, <em>di<\/em>; for an explicit purpose, <em>per<\/em>; for a manner or skill in doing, <em>nel<\/em>. The cheat sheet below collects the italian adjectives infinitive map in one place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"cheat-sheet\">Cheat sheet of italian adjectives infinitive: which preposition goes where<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th>Preposition<\/th><th>Meaning carried<\/th><th>Typical adjectives<\/th><th>Example<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody>\n<tr><td><strong>di<\/strong> + inf<\/td><td>feeling, capability, awareness (same subject)<\/td><td>contento, felice, lieto, fiero, orgoglioso, dispiaciuto, ansioso, impaziente, sicuro, certo, capace, incapace, stanco, stufo<\/td><td>Sono <em>contenta di<\/em> lavorare qui.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><strong>a<\/strong> + inf<\/td><td>aptitude, attitude, goal, &#8220;good at \/ ready to&#8221;<\/td><td>bravo, abile, abituato, adatto, pronto, disposto, incline, attento, intento, lesto, veloce, occupato, restio, fortunato; ordinals + <em>solo<\/em>, <em>unico<\/em>, <em>ultimo<\/em><\/td><td>Edoardo \u00e8 <em>bravo a<\/em> soffiare il vetro.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><strong>nel<\/strong> + inf<\/td><td>manner or skill <em>while<\/em> doing<\/td><td>abile, bravo, competente, coraggioso, efficace, esitante, forte, lesto, veloce; <em>concorde<\/em> (only <em>nel<\/em>)<\/td><td>Camilla \u00e8 <em>veloce nell&#8217;<\/em>imparare.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><strong>per<\/strong> + inf<\/td><td>purpose, &#8220;in order to&#8221;, material readiness<\/td><td>adatto, appropriato, efficace, necessario, preparato, pronto, sufficiente, valido<\/td><td>Il forno \u00e8 <em>pronto per<\/em> cuocere.<\/td><\/tr>\n<tr><td><strong>da<\/strong> + inf<\/td><td>passive: action done <em>to<\/em> the noun<\/td><td>facile, difficile, duro, impossibile, bello, buono, brutto, pericoloso, delicato, utile, strano, raro, commovente<\/td><td>I calici sono <em>delicati da<\/em> trasportare.<\/td><\/tr>\n<\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"dialogue\">Dialogue: a morning in the Murano workshop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Camilla has arrived at the workshop at six in the morning. Listen for the italian adjectives infinitive constructions she trades with Edoardo. He is already at the forno, is preparing the first <em>parison<\/em> (a bubble of molten glass) and they go through the day&#8217;s first piece together.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-dlg-murano\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Edoardo:<\/strong> Buongiorno Camilla, sei la prima ad arrivare anche oggi. Il forno \u00e8 gi\u00e0 pronto per cuocere, ho acceso alle cinque.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Camilla:<\/strong> Buongiorno maestro. Sono contenta di essere qui presto, il vaporetto delle cinque e mezza \u00e8 quasi vuoto a quest&#8217;ora.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Edoardo:<\/strong> Bene. Allora, sei pronta a provare un calice da sola? Hai visto come si fa per tre settimane, \u00e8 ora.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Camilla:<\/strong> S\u00ec, ma sono ancora un po&#8217; esitante nel chiudere lo stelo. La parte sottile \u00e8 difficile da controllare, sembra che il vetro mi scivoli via.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Edoardo:<\/strong> Normale. Anche mio nonno diceva che lo stelo \u00e8 duro da imparare, ci vogliono mesi. Sei abituata ad avere la canna sempre in movimento?<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Camilla:<\/strong> S\u00ec, ormai s\u00ec. \u00c8 la mano sinistra che \u00e8 lenta nel girare. Sono sicura di riuscire a migliorare entro l&#8217;estate.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Edoardo:<\/strong> Bravo. Mi piaci perch\u00e9 sei pronta ad ammettere quello che non sai. Molti apprendisti sono restii a chiedere, e poi rompono i pezzi senza dirlo.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Camilla:<\/strong> A proposito, ieri sera ho rotto un coppino mentre lo trasportavo al magazzino. Sono mortificata di averlo fatto cadere, era uno dei pi\u00f9 belli.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Edoardo:<\/strong> Capita. I coppini sottili sono fragili da spostare a mani nude. Domani ti porto i guanti termici nuovi, sono efficaci per evitare scivolate.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc69\ud83c\udffd\u200d\ud83e\uddb1 <strong>Camilla:<\/strong> Grazie. Sono fortunata ad avere un maestro cos\u00ec paziente, lo dico sul serio.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc68\ud83c\udffc\u200d\ud83e\uddb0 <strong>Edoardo:<\/strong> Paziente perch\u00e9 ho avuto maestri impossibili da sopportare, e ho deciso di non comportarmi cos\u00ec. Adesso prendi la canna, \u00e8 ora di lavorare.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"challenge\">\ud83c\udfaf Mini-challenge: build your own<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-mt-final\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n<p><strong>Choose the right preposition<\/strong> for each italian adjectives infinitive sentence: <em>a<\/em>, <em>di<\/em>, <em>da<\/em>, <em>per<\/em>, or <em>nel<\/em>. Some sentences accept more than one; pick the most natural.<\/p>\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 felice ___ aver imparato a soffiare lo stelo.<\/li>\n<li>Il vetro fuso \u00e8 pericoloso ___ toccare a mani nude.<\/li>\n<li>Edoardo \u00e8 bravissimo ___ scegliere i colori giusti per ogni cliente.<\/li>\n<li>Sei il primo apprendista ___ finire un calice in meno di un mese.<\/li>\n<li>Questa stanza \u00e8 abbastanza grande ___ ospitare due forni.<\/li>\n<li>Camilla \u00e8 abituata ___ alzarsi alle quattro e mezza.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p><details><summary>\ud83d\udc49 Show answers<\/summary><br>1. <strong>di<\/strong> aver imparato (feeling, same subject, past infinitive).<br>2. <strong>da<\/strong> toccare (passive sense: it is dangerous when touched).<br>3. <strong>a<\/strong> scegliere (aptitude \/ goal; <em>nel scegliere<\/em> would also be acceptable but more formal).<br>4. <strong>a<\/strong> finire (ordinal + a + infinitive).<br>5. <strong>per<\/strong> ospitare (purpose, suitability).<br>6. <strong>a<\/strong> alzarsi (habit \/ aptitude, same subject).<\/details><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"quiz\">Test your understanding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Take the quiz below to test what you&#8217;ve learned about <em>italian adjectives infinitive<\/em> and the preposition that follows each family. The italian adjectives infinitive quiz mixes <em>di<\/em>, <em>a<\/em>, <em>nel<\/em>, <em>per<\/em> and <em>da<\/em> patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-container gb-container-quiz-adj-inf\"><div class=\"gb-inside-container\">\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center\"><em>(Quiz coming soon)<\/em><\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"faq\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Five questions that come up almost every time a learner sits down with italian adjectives infinitive constructions. Each one is a doubt about italian adjectives infinitive that surfaces in real conversation. They cover the doubts a Treccani-style usage note would address, plus the questions Camilla keeps asking Edoardo in week two of her apprenticeship.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-1\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Is it bravo a or bravo in?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Both work. Bravo a + infinitive treats the action as a goal (Camilla \u00e8 brava a soffiare il vetro = good at the task). Bravo nel + infinitive treats the action as something the person is doing (Camilla \u00e8 brava nel soffiare il vetro = good in the doing of it, slightly more formal). Native speakers use bravo a much more often in everyday speech; nel is common in writing and in evaluative contexts (a referee&#8217;s report, a job review).<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-2\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">What is the difference between pronto a partire and pronto per partire?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Pronto a partire describes inner readiness: you have decided, you are willing, you feel prepared. Pronto per partire describes material readiness: bags packed, ticket bought, paperwork done. In a sentence like Sono pronto a lasciare il lavoro = I&#8217;m psychologically ready to quit, versus Sono pronto per la riunione = I have my notes and laptop. There is also pronto da + infinitive, which is passive: il pacco \u00e8 pronto da spedire = the parcel is ready to be shipped.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-3\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why is it facile da capire and not facile a capire?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Modern Italian uses facile da + infinitive when the noun undergoes the action: the grammar book is easy to understand (by someone), the steak is hard to chew (by someone). The construction has a passive nuance. Facile a + infinitive only survives in fixed expressions with a reflexive infinitive: facile a dirsi, strano a vedersi. For productive use, always pick da with facile, difficile, duro, impossibile, pericoloso, delicato, and friends.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-4\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Why do we write Camilla \u00e8 la prima ad arrivare instead of a arrivare?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>The d in ad is purely euphonic: it makes the two vowels easier to pronounce together. Italian once added it routinely (a + vowel becomes ad + vowel, e + vowel becomes ed + vowel, o + vowel becomes od + vowel). Today the rule is more relaxed: ad is mandatory only when the next vowel is the same one (a + a becomes ad a, as in la prima ad arrivare). With different vowels it is optional: la prima a entrare is just as correct as la prima ad entrare. Many newspapers drop ad altogether to look modern.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-5\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \">Does this rule apply to past infinitives too?<\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes, and it is one of the most useful B1 upgrades. The same preposition stays, but the infinitive becomes compound: contento di averti conosciuto, orgoglioso di aver finito il primo vaso, mortificata di aver rotto un calice. The past infinitive marks an action completed before the feeling. We cover this construction in detail in a separate guide on past infinitives in Italian subordinate clauses.<\/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<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-past-infinitive-subordinates\/\">Past infinitives in Italian subordinate clauses<\/a>: the natural next step for <em>contento di aver imparato<\/em>, <em>fiera di averlo finito<\/em> and other compound forms after these adjectives.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-sembra-che-sembra-di\/\"><em>Sembra che<\/em> vs <em>sembra di<\/em><\/a>: same logic as <em>contento di<\/em> vs <em>contento che<\/em>; when subjects coincide, Italian prefers <em>di<\/em> + infinitive over <em>che<\/em> + subjunctive.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/italian-mi-tocca-infinito\/\"><em>Mi tocca<\/em> + infinitive<\/a>: another high-frequency infinitive construction, useful for the same B1 conversational level.<\/li>\n<li>External, dofollow: the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.treccani.it\/enciclopedia\/preposizioni_(La-grammatica-italiana)\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Treccani entry on Italian prepositions<\/a> covers the broader landscape of preposition + verb patterns in native reference style.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Italian adjectives infinitive guide for B1: bravo a, contento di, facile da, pronto per. Five families, five prepositions, set in a Murano atelier.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10020,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","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":[1865,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60872","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-b1","category-lingua","no-featured-image-padding","pmpro-has-access"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60872","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=60872"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60872\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61454,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60872\/revisions\/61454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60872"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60872"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dante-learning.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60872"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}