Prepositions, People and Requests

What you will learn

• Use the seven core prepositions with confidence
• Recognise articulated prepositions: al, alla, nel, nella, dal
• Use tonic pronouns after prepositions: con me, per te
• Conjugate dare and dire
• Make simple requests with dimmi, dammi and mi dica
• Use indirect object pronouns at an introductory level

Quick review

Say these aloud before you start. They come from earlier lessons.

• C'è un bar qui vicino? Is there a bar nearby? Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: C'è un bar qui vicino? Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Vado spesso al cinema. I often go to the cinema. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Vado spesso al cinema. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Mi piace la musica. I like music. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Mi piace la musica. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Ho venduto la macchina. I sold the car. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Ho venduto la macchina. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Non c'è nessuno a casa. There is nobody at home. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Non c'è nessuno a casa. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:

Theory

Seven prepositions that do the heavy lifting

Italian movement and relationships run through a small set of prepositions: a (to/at), in (in/into), da (from/at someone's place), di (of/from), con (with), senza (without), per (for/through).

Note the patterns: vado a Roma, vado in Italia, vengo da Milano, sono di Venezia, lavoro con Luca, un caffè senza zucchero, un regalo per te. Learn them in fixed chunks, not as isolated words.

• Vado a Firenze in treno. I am going to Florence by train. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Vado a Firenze in treno. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Vengo da Milano. I come from Milan. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Vengo da Milano. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Un caffè senza zucchero, per favore. A coffee without sugar, please. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Un caffè senza zucchero, per favore. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:

Tonic pronouns after prepositions

After a preposition, Italian uses the strong pronoun forms: me, te, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro — not mi, ti, lo, la. Vieni con me? (Are you coming with me?), Questo regalo è per te (This gift is for you).

They are easy because you mostly need me, te, lui, lei: con me, per te, con lui, da lei.

• Vieni con me? Are you coming with me? Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Vieni con me? Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Questo è per te. This is for you. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Questo è per te. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Parlo con lui domani. I will talk with him tomorrow. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Parlo con lui domani. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:

dare, dire and the imperative of requests

dare (to give) and dire (to say) are irregular but short: dare — do, dai, dà, diamo, date, danno; dire — dico, dici, dice, diciamo, dite, dicono.

For quick requests, Italian uses the imperative: dimmi (tell me), dammi (give me), and the polite mi dica (tell me, formal). The -mi and -ci stick to the verb: aiutami (help me), parlami (talk to me).

• Dimmi come stai. Tell me how you are. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Dimmi come stai. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Dammi il sale, per favore. Give me the salt, please. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Dammi il sale, per favore. Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:
• Mi dica, in cosa posso aiutarla? Tell me, how can I help you? (formal) Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian: Mi dica, in cosa posso aiutarla? Listen in Italian: Slow in Italian:

Vocabulary

Ready-to-use phrases

Dialogues

Exercises