The Problem with Prepositions in the Italian language

C’e’ da impazzire 

It makes you crazy.

After a recent conversation, an Italian friend praised my consistency. I had gotten all the verb tenses right--and every single preposition wrong. Italians may complain that English has too many prepositions, but  I contend that Italian has too few--with far too many meanings.

Consider simple-sounding “da.” Most often it means “from,” as in “the train from Rome” (il treno da Roma). But if I want to say, "I’m from California," I have to switch prepositions to “di” and say that I am “of” California.   My favorite necklace is not a gift da Roberto (from my husband) but di (of) Roberto.

Da also refers to a person’s place. You might shop al mercato (at the market), but you go dal medico (to the doctor’s), dal fioraio (the florist’s), dall’avvocato (the lawyer’s), dal panettiere (the baker’s) or dal parrucchiere (the hairdresser’s). Or you can come to our house (da noi), your parents’ (dai tuoi) or your friend Gianni’s (da Gianni). You also might journey da lontano (from far away) or da vicino (nearby) or simply come in da fuori (from outside)—if you don’t andare dalla parte sbagliata (go the wrong way).

Da can pair up with an infinitive to describe a noun: una serata da dimenticare (an evening to forget) or un libro da leggere (a book worth reading). Sandwiched between an adjective and an infinitive, da appears in common Italian exclamations, such as bello da morire (the equivalent of “to die for” or incredibly beautiful) or buono da impazzire (so good it makes you crazy).

Da can be used also to describe qualities or details, such as un uomo dal naso lungo (a man with a long nose) or una donna dai capelli corti (a woman with short hair). You type on una macchina da scrivere (machine for writing or typewriter), drink vino da tavola (table wine), wear occhiali da sole (sunglasses) in the day and abito da sera (evening dress) at night and present new acquaintances with your biglietto da visita (business card). You may not want to get onto a cavallo da corsa (race horse) but who could resist a spin in a macchina da corsa (race car)?

When it comes to time, da conveys the idea of something that started in the past and continues into the present. “Da dieci anni vivo a Firenze” translates as “I’ve been living in Florence for ten years .” If you’ve been doing something for a very long time, you can say “da tanto” (for so long) or "da sempre" (from always). Da also refer to stages in one’s life, for instance, when you were a child (da bambino) or a student (da studente).

At any age you may have niente or molto da fare (nothing or a lot to do), un problema da risolvere (a problem to resolve) or altre gatte da pelare (other cats to skin—or things to take care of). Whatever they are, da is sure to show up. Why? That’s una domanda da un milione di dollari (Italian for the $64,000 question)—and enough to make you lose your head (da perdere la testa).

Words and Expressions

da capo a piedi –- from head to toe

una cosa da ridere -- a laughing matter

fuori dai piedi –- out of one’s feet, get out!

scherzo da prete –- priest’s trick, dirty trick

Here's a lyrical invitation to "come to my place":

Comments

[dianne]

Whether sounding like textbook or tourist, I am just happy the Italians understand and embrace our attempts to navigate their lovely language.

[Pensionato]

But it is "da diece anni abito a Firenze" Dianne! At least if you wish to speak text book Italian it is. Vivo a Firenza is tourist Italian!

[Debra Kolkka]

I find the prepositions impossible to navigate. I have kind of given up trying to learn them and chip away at them and hope it just sinks in one day.

[Jann Huizenga]

Thanks so much for this review! I hadn't really thought about how ubiquitous "da" is in Italian. If I'm even unsure of which preposition to use in a given situation, I think I'll use "da." Odds are it may work!

[Andrea Laforgia]

>"I’m from California," I have to switch prepositions to “di” and say that I am “of” California.

Well, not really. You cannot say "Sono di California", you must say "Sono della California". The most common way to say that, however, is "Vengo dalla California" or "Sono californiana".

>your parents’ (da tuoi)

DAI tuoi. You must add the article to "da".

>macchina da scrivere

There has always been a (sterile) diatribe, in Italian, about such expressions as "macchina da scrivere" and "gomma da cancellare". Some people think that "per", instead of "da", would be better.

For these people (which I consider wrong) the apparent ambiguity stems from the fact that the "da" suggests that the machine is to be written, as well as the rubber to be erased (as in "film da dimenticare"). In reality, that the "da" does not express the same concept of the Latin gerundive, but: "machine that allows you to write" as well as "rubber that allows you to erase".

[Andrea Laforgia]

@Mike Benza: same thing. You can say either "vivo" or "abito".

[dianne]

Both "abito" and "vivo" mean "I live," and you can use either. I tend to use "abitare" to convey the sense of inhabiting a place and "vivere" in the more existential sense of being alive. Thanks for writing.

[Mike Benza]

Perche non è "da diece anni abito a Firenze" invece di vivo a Firenze?