Prepositions Combined with Articles

In brief

In Italian, di, a, da, in, and su normally merge with a following definite article into one word. The resulting form depends on the article that goes with the noun: di + il becomes del, while di + la becomes della. English usually keeps the preposition and ‘the’ separate.

Form

di + il = del; a + il = al; da + il = dal; in + il = nel; su + il = sul. With la: della, alla, dalla, nella, sulla. With l’: dell’, all’, dall’, nell’, sull’. Other articles produce forms such as dello, dei, agli, and negli.

Usage

• Use the combined form whenever one of these five prepositions is followed by a definite article: il libro → del libro, la casa → della casa.
• Match the form to the noun’s article, including plural articles: i libri → dei libri; gli amici → degli amici.
• Do not apply this pattern to every preposition: con, per, tra, and fra normally remain separate from the article.

Examples

• Parliamo del film. — We’re talking about the movie.
• Il libro è sul tavolo. — The book is on the table.
• Le chiavi sono nella borsa. — The keys are in the bag.
• I quaderni degli studenti sono sulla scrivania. — The students’ notebooks are on the desk.

Common mistake

❌ Parliamo di il film.

✅ Parliamo del film.

Unlike English ‘about the movie,’ Italian joins di and il into del.

Remember

If the article is l’, keep the apostrophe in the combined form: nell’ufficio. Choose the article for the noun first, then combine it with the preposition.