Other Prepositions in Italian

Overview

Beyond the core prepositions di, a, da, in, Italian has four more simple prepositions that you will use constantly at the A1 level: con (with), su (on/upon), per (for/through), and tra/fra (between/among/in). These prepositions do not contract with articles the way di, a, da, and in do, which makes them simpler to use.

Each of these prepositions carries several meanings depending on context. Learning to recognize the most common uses early on will help you form natural sentences and understand everyday Italian conversation.

How It Works

Con (with)

Meaning	Usage
Accompaniment	Doing something with someone
Instrument/means	Using something to perform an action
Manner	Describing how something is done

Su (on, upon, about)

Meaning	Usage
Position on a surface	Something resting on top of something
Topic/subject	Talking or writing about something
Approximation	Roughly, around (with numbers)

Per (for, through, in order to)

Meaning	Usage
Purpose/recipient	For someone or for a purpose
Duration	For a period of time
Movement through	Passing through a place
Cause/reason	Because of something

Tra / Fra (between, among, in)

Meaning	Usage
Position between	Located between two things
Among a group	Within a group of people or things
Future time	In a specified amount of time from now

Note: Tra and fra are completely interchangeable in meaning. Italians often choose whichever sounds better phonetically — for example, "fra tre giorni" avoids the repetition of "tra tre."

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Preposition & Use
Vado al cinema con Maria.	I'm going to the cinema with Maria.	con — accompaniment
Mangio con la forchetta.	I eat with a fork.	con — instrument
Parla con gentilezza.	He/She speaks with kindness.	con — manner
Il libro è sul tavolo.	The book is on the table.	su — position on surface
Un libro su Roma.	A book about Rome.	su — topic
Costa sui venti euro.	It costs around twenty euros.	su — approximation
Questo regalo è per te.	This gift is for you.	per — recipient
Studio italiano per un anno.	I study Italian for one year.	per — duration
Passo per il centro.	I pass through the city center.	per — movement through
Il treno parte tra dieci minuti.	The train leaves in ten minutes.	tra — future time
La farmacia è tra la banca e il bar.	The pharmacy is between the bank and the bar.	tra — position between
Fra tutti i colori, preferisco il blu.	Among all colors, I prefer blue.	fra — among a group
Chiuso per ferie.	Closed for holidays.	per — reason

Common Mistakes

Confusing "per" and "da" for duration

• Wrong: Studio italiano da un anno. (when you mean you will study for one year total)
• Right: Studio italiano per un anno.
• Why: "Per" indicates a planned duration (for one year). "Da" indicates since when something started (I have been studying for a year = since a year ago).

Using "tra" and "fra" for past time

• Wrong: Sono arrivato tra due ore. (I arrived in two hours)
• Right: Sono arrivato dopo due ore. / Arrivo tra due ore.
• Why: Tra/fra for time expressions only refers to the future — something that will happen in a certain amount of time. For past events, use "dopo" (after).

Forgetting "su" contracts with articles

• Wrong: Il gatto è su il tavolo.
• Right: Il gatto è sul tavolo.
• Why: While su does not contract as regularly as di/a/da/in, it does form contractions with definite articles: sul, sullo, sulla, sui, sugli, sulle, sull'.

Translating "with" literally for every use

• Wrong: Un uomo con capelli neri. (translating "with" from English)
• Right: Un uomo con i capelli neri.
• Why: In Italian, body parts and personal attributes typically require the definite article after "con" — "con i capelli," "con gli occhi."

Using "per" where Italian uses no preposition

• Wrong: Cerco per un lavoro.
• Right: Cerco un lavoro.
• Why: The verb "cercare" (to look for) already includes the idea of "for" — it takes a direct object without a preposition.

Practice Tips

1. Group by preposition and drill: Pick one preposition per day. Write five sentences using it with different meanings (e.g., Monday = con for accompaniment, instrument, manner). This focused repetition builds muscle memory faster than mixing all four at once.

2. Tra/fra sound test: When you have a choice between tra and fra, say the sentence out loud. If the next word starts with "tr-", use "fra" (fra tre giorni). If it starts with "fr-", use "tra" (tra fratelli). This is a style preference, not a rule, but it makes your Italian sound more polished.

3. Label your surroundings: Practice "su" by describing where objects are in your room (il telefono è sul letto, la tazza è sul tavolo). Then expand to "tra" by placing objects between others (il libro è tra il computer e la lampada).

Related Concepts

• See also: Common Prepositions — the core prepositions di, a, da, in
• See also: Articulated Prepositions — how prepositions contract with definite articles