What simple prepositions do
Prepositions never change form, and they sit in front of a noun or pronoun. One Italian preposition often covers several English ones, and Italian sometimes picks a different one than English would. Learn each one through its typical uses, not as a fixed English equivalent.
di: possession, origin, topic
di shows who something belongs to (like English ’s or of), where a person is from, and what a conversation is about.
Il libro di Marco è nuovo.
Marco's book is new.
Sono di Londra.
I'm from London.
Parliamo di musica.
We're talking about music.
a: cities, clock time, to whom
a goes before cities, both for being there (in) and for going there (to), before the clock time (at), and before the person you write or give something to (to whom?). It also appears in fixed phrases like a casa and a scuola.
Vado a Roma.
I'm going to Rome.
Abito a Milano.
I live in Milan.
A che ora mangi?
What time do you eat?
Scrivo a Maria.
I'm writing to Maria.
Sono a casa.
I'm at home.
da: from, at someone's place, since
da says where something comes from, goes before people in the sense of to / at someone's place, and says how long something has been going on (since / for). For that last use Italian takes the present tense where English takes the present perfect.
Vengo da Roma.
I come from Rome.
Vado da Marco.
I'm going to Marco's place.
Studio italiano da un anno.
I've been studying Italian for a year.
in: countries, transport, seasons
in goes before countries and regions, both for being there and for going there, before means of transport, and before months and seasons. It also appears in fixed place phrases like in ufficio and in banca.
Vivo in Italia.
I live in Italy.
Vado in Francia.
I'm going to France.
Viaggio in treno.
I travel by train.
In estate mangio molto gelato.
In summer I eat a lot of ice cream.
Sono in ufficio.
I'm at the office.
con, su, per, tra/fra
con: with
con names the company and the means.
Vado in centro con Marco.
I'm going downtown with Marco.
Pago con la carta.
I pay by card.
su: on, about
su stands for position (on) and for topic (about).
Il gatto è su una sedia.
The cat is on a chair.
Un libro su Roma.
A book about Rome.
per: for
per names the person something is meant for.
Questo regalo è per te.
This gift is for you.
Un caffè per me, grazie.
A coffee for me, please.
tra / fra: between, in
tra and fra mean the same thing: between and, for a span of time in the future, in.
Il bar è tra la banca e la posta.
The bar is between the bank and the post office.
Arrivo tra cinque minuti.
I'll arrive in five minutes.
