Prepositions of place and movement are used to describe where people and things are, where they are going, and where they come from. In English, common examples include in, at, to, from, on, under, and between. Italian uses prepositions in similar ways, but the choice of preposition does not always match English. For example, English uses in with both cities and countries, while Italian generally uses a with cities and in with countries. Learning these differences is essential for describing locations and movements correctly.
The most important Italian prepositions for expressing location and movement are a, in, da, su, and per. The preposition di is also used in certain expressions of origin, particularly essere di (to be from). Other common expressions, such as vicino a (near), davanti a (in front of), and dietro (behind), help describe the position of people and objects. Some prepositions combine with definite articles, producing forms such as al, nel, dal, and sul. These combinations follow the rules of articulated prepositions.
Expressing Location, Destination, and Origin
The prepositions a and in are especially important because they can both describe a location or a destination. Italian generally uses a with cities and towns, while in is used with countries, regions, and continents. This distinction applies both when someone is in a place and when someone is going there. For example, essere a Roma means to be in Rome, while andare a Roma means to go to Rome. Similarly, essere in Italia means to be in Italy, while andare in Italia means to go to Italy. The verb tells us whether the sentence describes a position or movement toward a destination.
Abito a Firenze. — I live in Florence.
Vado a Firenze. — I'm going to Florence.
Sono in Francia. — I'm in France.
Vado in Francia. — I'm going to France.
With other places, the choice between a and in depends on the expression. Italian commonly uses a in phrases such as a casa (at home) and a scuola (at school), as well as in al cinema (at the movie theater), where al is the combination of a + il. The preposition in is common in expressions such as in ufficio (at the office), in banca (at the bank), and in biblioteca (at the library). These combinations can describe either a location or a destination, depending on the verb. Because there is no single rule that explains every choice, it is useful to learn these expressions together with their prepositions.
Sono a casa. — I'm at home.
Vado a scuola. — I'm going to school.
Lavoro in ufficio. — I work at the office.
Andiamo al cinema. — We're going to the movies.
The preposition da is commonly used to indicate where someone or something comes from. It often appears with verbs such as venire (to come) and partire (to leave). When followed by the name of a person, da can also indicate a location or a destination, depending on the verb. For example, essere da Marco means to be at Marco's place, while andare da Marco means to go to Marco's place. In contrast, the preposition di is commonly used with essere to identify someone's hometown or place of origin. The preposition per can indicate a destination, especially with verbs such as partire. It can also describe movement through or around a place.
Vengo da Napoli. — I come from Naples.
Sono di Torino. — I'm from Turin.
Vado da Marco. — I'm going to Marco's place.
Parto per Roma. — I'm leaving for Rome.
Cammino per il parco. — I'm walking around the park.
The preposition su usually indicates a position on a surface. When combined with a verb of movement, it can also indicate movement onto that surface. The verb and the context help us understand whether the sentence describes a fixed position or a change of location.
Il gatto è sul tavolo. — The cat is on the table.
Describing the Position of People and Objects
Italian also uses several common expressions to describe the position of one thing in relation to another. These include sopra (above or on), sotto (under), davanti a (in front of), dietro (behind), and vicino a (near). The prepositions tra and fra both mean between when describing something located between two people or objects. They are interchangeable and have no difference in meaning.
Some of these expressions require another preposition. For example, davanti a and vicino a are followed by a, which combines with the definite article when necessary. This produces expressions such as davanti alla casa and vicino alla scuola. Other expressions, such as sotto il tavolo and dietro la porta, can be followed directly by a noun with its article. The same is true of sopra in common expressions such as sopra il letto. Learning these combinations makes it easier to describe positions naturally without translating each English word separately.
La farmacia è vicino alla banca. — The pharmacy is near the bank.
La macchina è davanti alla casa. — The car is in front of the house.
Il gatto è sotto il letto. — The cat is under the bed.
Il giardino è dietro la casa. — The garden is behind the house.
Il bar è tra la banca e la farmacia. — The café is between the bank and the pharmacy.
Summary of Prepositions of Place and Movement
| Preposition or expression | Main meaning | Common use | Example |
| a | in, at, to | Cities and common destinations | a Roma — in Rome |
| in | in, to | Countries, regions, and common places | in Italia — in Italy |
| da | from, to someone's place | Origin and visits | da Marco — to Marco's place |
| di | from | Place of origin with essere | di Milano — from Milan |
| per | for, through, around | Destination or movement through a place | partire per Roma — to leave for Rome |
| su | on, onto | Position or movement onto a surface | sul tavolo — on the table |
| sopra / sotto | above, under | Higher or lower position | sotto il letto — under the bed |
| davanti a / dietro | in front of, behind | Position relative to something | davanti alla casa — in front of the house |
| vicino a | near | Short distance | vicino alla scuola — near the school |
| tra / fra | between | Position between things | tra due case — between two houses |