Verbs and prepositions in Italian
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In Italian, there are verbs that need specific prepositions to convey the right meaning and fulfill the syntactic structure of the clause.
Lesson outline
HideUsage and functions of the prepositions with verbs
As we know, the prepositions create a relations between two elements in the sentence.
When they occur with verbs, they usually complete the meaning of the sentence, also by introducing another phrase.
| Example | Translation |
|---|---|
| Loro hanno deciso di andar via. | They decided to leave. |
| Loro abitano in campagna. | They live in the country. |
Be careful! When the preposition introduce another sentence, this one is usually an implicit subordinate.
e.g. Vieni a vedere! (Come to see it!); Ho una fame da impazzire. (I am really hungry).
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Which Italian verbs need prepositions?
In Italian, there a lot of verbs that cannot take a direct object. They are intransitive, impersonal and reflexive verbs.
Be careful! Sometimes, we could find clauses with prepositions with transitive verbs too. Indeed, the prepositions can complete the general meaning of the sentence.
e.g. Il postino ha consegnato la lettera al destinatario. (The postman delivered the postcard to the addressee).
Let's see these verbs in detail.
List of main Italian verbs with preposition
Below you will find a list of the main verbs that occur with prepositions in Italian.
| Verb | Preposition | Example | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
Abbandonarsi (to collapse on) | + su | Mi sono abbandonato sul letto per la stanchezza. | I collapsed onto the bed due to the tiredness. |
| Abitare (to live) | + in / con | Io abito con i miei genitori. Lei abita in città. | I live with my parents. She lives in the city. |
| Accompagnare (to bring, to carry) | direct obj + a / da | Ho accompagnato mia sorella a scuola. | I brought my sister to school. |
| Accorgersi (to notice) | + di | Non si sono accorti di essere in ritardo? | Didn't they notice they were late? |
| Affidare (to entrust) | + a | Il mio gatto è stato affidato alle cure del veterinario. | The veterinary was entrusted with the care of my cat. |
| Aggiungere (to add) | direct obj + a | Mio padre ha appena aggiunto il sale alla minestra. | My dad has just added salt to the soup. |
| Approfittare (to take advance) | + di | Si sono chiaramente approfittate di te. | They clearly took advantage of you. |
| Arrivare (to arrive) | + a / in / su | Marco e Luca sono arrivati presto in ufficio. Mio fratello arriverà tardi a casa. | Marco and Luca arrived early at the office. My brother is going to arrive late at home. |
| Brindare (to toast, to make a toast) | + a | Abbiamo brindato alla sua salute. | We toasted on her health. |
| Cadere (to fall) | + in / per | La bambina è caduta per terra mentre giocava. | The child fell to the ground while playing. |
| Cenare (to have dinner) | + in / a / da | L'altro ieri Lucia ha cenato a casa di amici. | The day before yesterday Lucia had dinner at a friend's house. |
| Comunicare (to communicate) | direct object + a (+ di) | Hanno comunicato a noi la loro preoccupazione. Ci hanno comunicato di essere preoccupati. | They communicated us that they were worried. |
| Continuare (to continue) | + a + per | Ha continuato a piovere per tutto il giorno. | It was raining all day long. |
| Convincere (to convince) | direct object + di / a | Avete finalmente convinto vostra madre a farvi uscire? | Have you finally convinced your mom to let you out? |
| Credere (to believe) | + in / a | Tu credi in te stesso? | Do you believe in yourself? |
| Dare (to give) | direct object + a + da / di | Voi non avete dato il regalo a Giovanna? | Didn't you give the gift to Giovanna? |
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Hi everyone!
My name is Daniela, I am Italian and I come from a small town in Sicily, Southern Italy. I am a qualified Italian language teacher and a CELI examiner! I work in two language schools teaching Italian and I also teach English at school.
I love foreign languages, translating, reading and listening to music. Are you ready to start your language learning path with me? We are going to learn many things and to talk a lot, if you allow me to! Don’t worry if you’ve never studied the language before: everyone can attend my classes – from beginner to advanced students. You just need passion for what you're going to do and... a good Internet connection. Materials are provided by me!
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Are you doing an Erasmus in Italy or Spain?
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Do you want a languages certification?
Here i am! I'm Andrea an Italian/spanish teacher that living in Spain. I got a Teaching Master and I'm working as italian teacher. Also, I have a C1 spanish level ( DELE certification) and I can teach you both languages.
Send me a request and we can find the best solution for you ;)
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It's very useful to go through writing I have done and discuss other ways of expressing the same idea.
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Hello everyone. My name is Eva Campagna and I am a professional teacher living in Rome, Italy. As an experienced tutor I would like to offer you custom lessons based on your needs. My lessons are not only educational, but also entertaining and engaging. My teaching method has been honed over 10 years of experience, and is focused on delivering relevant, engaging material in a friendly and inclusive manner.
Incorporating all the key elements of the Communicative Approach, my lessons are focused on communication in real-life situations and an engaging atmosphere.
I like music, literature and cinema. Don't hesitate to contact me!
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Hi there, I’m Letizia!
I've always had a great passion for languages and have made it my life's work.
I have been teaching English, Spanish and Italian as second languages (L2) to international students for 7 years now. I mainly work with teenagers and adults, but I also have experience with school-age children.
I am specialised in Psycholinguistics and Applied Linguistics for teaching: specifically, I work on the processes of L2 language acquisition (SLA), language development and processing.
Course features:
- Exams and certifications
- Academic and colloquial language
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- Course build on your needs and goals
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Delays are accepted for up to 15 minutes, after which the lesson will be considered not cancelled and, thus, charged.
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