The most important prepositions of time in Italian are di, a, da, in, per, tra/fra, and su. Prepositions of time come before nouns or other phrases that answer questions like quando?(when?), or da/per quanto tempo?(how long?).
In this post, we’ll show you how and when to use each of the prepositionsNo definition set for prepositionsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. in the list above to talk about time, duration, frequency, and more. If you have wondered why in English you say “on Monday,” while in Italian we say lunedì, or di lunedì, then you are in the right place!
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Prepositions of time are used to introduce a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. or a noun phraseNo definition set for noun phraseLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that represents the time (when?) or duration (for how long?) of an action. The are the most common prepositions of time are:
Italian | English |
|---|---|
di | on, in |
a | on, until |
da | when, from, since |
in | in, within, during |
per | for |
tra/fra | in about |
su | around, about |
These prepositions are not always used to talk about time! Most of these can also be used to talk about place, direction, possession, and more. To read about some of the other uses of these prepositions, check out some of our other posts:
How to use Italian prepositions? (a general introduction)
Before we dive into the uses of individual words, take note of these two general rules:
In Italian, you will often find prepositions combined with one of the definite articles il, lo, la, l’, i, gli, or le(the). For example:
a + le → alle
in + gli → negli.
These combined prepositions are called preposizioni articolate(articulated prepositions). We’ll give you some advice about when to use the articulated forms below, but we won’t introduce all the different forms. To see all the different preposizioni articolate, check out our table of Italian articulated prepositions!
In Italian, prepositions are never left “hanging” at the end of a phrase or a question, in fact they are always placed in front of a noun phrase. So when you ask a question about the object of a prepositionNo definition set for object of a prepositionLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum., the preposition will come first:
✅ A che ora arrivi?
lit. At what time do you arrive?
❌ Che ora arrivi a?
lit. What time do you arrive at?
Let’s go through how to use each one of these prepositions of time one-by-one!
The preposition di introduces a time at which something usually or regularly occurs. This is often a particular day of the week, part of the day, or season:
di+ day of the week
I negozi sono chiusi di lunedì.
Stores are closed on Mondays.
A more common way to express the same meaning, though, is just to use the day of the week by itself or with a definite article.
I negozi sono chiusi il lunedì.
Stores are closed on Mondays.
di+ part of the day
Studio di pomeriggio.
I study in the afternoon.
Though usually, di + part of the day is used to describe a regular action, you can use it to describe an action that happens just once (i.e. something that’s not a habit)
Domani partiró di notte.
Tomorrow I’m leaving at night.
With some parts of the day you don’t need the preposition:
La mattina studio.
I study in the morning.
Using prepositions with parts of the day can be a little bit tricky. Check out this table of the different prepositions that go with the parts of the day to learn more!
di+ season
D’inverno fa molto freddo.
In winter it is very cold.
You can also use the preposition in with seasons with little change in meaning:
In inverno fa molto freddo.
In winter it is very cold.
Before a word beginning with a vowel, di becomes d’, as in:
d’estate (in summer)
d’autunno(in autumn)
This lets us avoid having two vowels together, which is something we do not like in Italian!
Here are some frequent Italian time expressions that use di:
d’improvviso
suddenly
di solito
usually
di nuovo
again
di recente
recently
The preposition a can be used as a preposition of time in a few different ways. Most often, it will introduce a noun or phrase that represents a specific moment. For example:
a + a specific time (on the clock)
A che ora arrivi? Arrivo alle 10:30.
What time do you arrive? I arrive at 10:30.
Before a time on the clock given using numbers (e.g. “at 10:30”), you need to use the combined form of the preposition by merging the preposition a and the definite article le:
a+ le= alle ← use this before times on the clock!
Why le? Because the feminine plural word ore(hours) is implied.
This means that before 1:00 you’ll use the singular form all’ instead at 1:00 there is only a singular ora(hour)!
Arrivo all’una
I arrive at one.
Check out our post on how to tell time in Italian to learn more!
a + a specific age when something happens generally or when it happened for an individual
In Italia si prende la patente a 18 anni.
In Italy, one gets the driving license at 18.
a + a celebration
Typically these are holidays such as Pasqua(Easter), Natale(Christmas), etc.
A Pasqua mangiamo la Colomba.
At Easter we eat Colomba.
“Colomba” is a traditional Easter cake shaped as a dove.
a + a month
Festeggiamo a maggio.
We celebrate in May.
We can also use in with months with the same meaning, in maggio(in May), but this is a bit less common.
Here are some frequent expressions where a is used to talk about time:
A presto!
See you soon!
at soon
A domani!
See you tomorrow!
at tomorrow
A dopo!
See you later!
at later
Da has a couple different uses as a preposition of time:
da+ duration
This is used to express how long something has been or had been going on.
This means that the action or situation you’re describing is still in place:
Da quando studi l’italiano?
How long have you been studying Italian?
Studio italiano da due anni.
I have been studying Italian for two years.
Or it can mean that it was still in place at another moment you’re talking about:
Nel 2008 studiavo italiano da cinque anni.
In 2008, I had been studying Italian for five years.
If the action is just finished, use per instead.
Notice that in Italian you say studio(I study) in such sentences, using the present tense.
da+ a specific period in someone’s life
This can be used to describe a past period, or a future period of your life.
Da bambina giocavo a tennis.
When I was little, I played tennis.
(lit.) When a child, I played tennis
Da grande farò l’avvocato.
When I grow up, I will be a lawyer.
(lit.) When a grown-up, I will be a lawyer.
da(l)... a(l)...(from... to...)
Use da, to indicate the beginning of a time period, and a to indicate the end. The time can be given…
With months:
Seguo i corsi da agosto a dicembre.
I have classes from August until December.
With days:
Vado al mare dal 10 al 31 luglio.
I am going to the beach from July 10 until July 31.
Ho lezione dal martedì al giovedì.
I have class from Tuesday to Thursday.
Use the articulated prepositions dal (da + il) and al (a + il) before specific days.
Why il? Because you’re really saying “the 30th (day of) July” or “the Tuesday (day of next week).” The noun giorno(day) is singular and masculine, so we use the masculine singular article, il.
With times on the clock:
Il supermercato è aperto dalle (ore) 8 alle (ore) 22.
The supermarket is open from 8 to 10 pm.
Use the articulated prepositions dalle (da + le) and alle (a + le) before times on the clock, because here we’re counting ore(hours f.). Be careful to use dall’ or all’ instead before 1:00, because then there is only one ora(hour)!
The Italian preposition in can be used to discuss time in a variety of ways:
in+ season
To define the period of the year during which something happens.
In estate le giornate sono lunghe.
In/during the summer, days are longer.
We can also use di with seasons (d’estate)
in+ amount of time
defining a limit, an amount of time within which something must be finished.
Devo finire questo lavoro in 4 giorni.
I have to finish this job in four days.
in+ year/century
Use the articulated preposition in + il = nel
Maria Montessori è nata nel 1870, nel XIX secolo.
Maria Montessori was born in 1870, in the nineteenth century.
The preposition per is like the English preposition “for” when…
per + amount of time
This expresses the duration of a finished action/situation.
Ho abitato a Pisa per 3 anni.
I lived in Pisa for three years.
Notice the important difference between per (for the duration of a finished situation) and da (for the duration of an unfinished situation)
per + duration | da + duration |
|---|---|
Ho studiato italiano per cinque anni. I have studied Italian for five years. → I do not study it anymore. | Studio italiano da cinque anni. I have been studying Italian for five years. → I still study it. |
Nel 2008 avevo studiato italiano per cinque anni. In 2008, I had studied Italian for five years. → In 2008, I had finished studying. | Nel 2008 studiavo italiano da cinque anni. In 2008, I had been studying Italian for five years. → In 2008, I was still studying. |
per + a moment in time
This is often used when making plans for a holiday or break:
Cosa fai per Capodanno?
What are you doing for New Year's Day?
You can use tra and fra to mean “within” in discussions of time. Here are their main uses
tra / fra + amount of time
This tells you how much time will pass before something happens.
La pasta è pronta tra/fra 10 minuti.
The pasta will be ready in about ten minutes.
tra / fra + start time + e + end time
This establishes a range of time during which something will happen.
La lezione inizia tra/fra le 10 e le 10:15.
Class starts between 10 and 10:15.
Tra and fra are used interchangeably today: Just use the one you prefer!
The word su is used like “around” or “about” in English. We use it most often before a time on the clock:
Parto sulle (su+le) 10:00.
I leave around 10.
Ho camminato sulle due ore.
I walked for about two hours.
As with other prepositions that come before times on the clock, you’ll want to use the articulated preposition sulle (= su + le), unless the time is 1:00, in which case you’ll use sull’ instead.
You can also use intorno alle... or verso le…, or circa to express this idea of time “approximation”.
These are the prepositions used to express time in Italian, and some uses are quite different from English, so here are some useful suggestions:
When in English you say “on” (on Monday), in Italian we say di lunedì, or il lunedì to indicate a recurring action (every Monday), or just lunedì to express the actual weekday.
When in English you say “in May,” in Italian we say a maggio or in maggio when talking about months.
You can use either in or di with seasons: in inverno or d’inverno.
Now let’s practice with these activities!
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