ARTICULATED PREPOSITIONS in Italian (how and when to use them) - Learn Italian Grammar 

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English subtitles written by our great student Hosam Elshazly! 😍
If you've seen our video on simple prepositions, now you're ready to learn articulated prepositions! It seems like a big obstacle but... don't worry!
ARTICULATED PREPOSITIONS
First of all, how are the articulated prepositions formed?
They are formed by joining simple prepositions + determinate articles, creating a single word.
Not all simple prepositions, however, can form articulated prepositions; this happens only for the simple propositions di, a, da, in e su.
Here is a summary table of how all the articulated prepositions are formed:
il lo la l' i gli le
di del dello della dell’ dei degli delle
a al allo alla all’ ai agli alle
da dal dallo dalla dall’ dai dagli dalle
in nel nello nella nell’ nei negli nelle
su sul sullo sulla sull’ sui sugli sulle
The cases in which you have to use the articulated prepositions are the same in which you have to use the simple ones...
So, the question arises spontaneously: how do we know whether to use a simple or articulated preposition? Unfortunately there is no infallible rule, but some tendencies. Let's see them together!
1. We use articulated prepositions when the name that follows is plural
For example:
Vado negli Stati Uniti a Natale. (→ Stati Uniti is plural)
Questa è la scatola delle scarpe.
BUT we will use simple prepositions if the name that follows is singular
For example:
Vado in Francia a Natale. (→ Francia è singolare)
Ho voglia di cioccolato.
ATTENTION! To express the origin or the return from a state (so with verbs such as "venire", "tornare", "ritornare", etc.) we always use the articulated prepositions.
For example:
Vengo dall’Italia.
Sono appena tornato dalla Francia.
2. We also use the articulated prepositions when the noun that follows is determined, specific and not generic
For example:
Vivo nell’Italia del Sud. (→ sto specificando la zona dell’Italia in cui sto andando)
Vado alla scuola di mia figlia. (→ voglio specificare in quale scuola sto andando)
BUT we use simple prepositions to talk about something in general
For example:
Vivo in Italia. (→ generico)
Vado a scuola. (→ non è importante precisare in quale scuola)
3. General prepositions are generally used even in front of "geographical" names of seas, rivers, lakes, mountains...
For example:
Vado in vacanza sulle Alpi.
Faccio una crociera nel Mediterraneo.
Mi bagno nel fiume Po.
BUT simple prepositions must be used with city names
For example:
Vado a Bologna.
Parto per Parigi.
Torno da Milano.
And you must use simple prepositions even before names and surnames
For example:
Il regalo è per Giovanni.
Il libro è di Rossi.
Once we have determined which preposition we must use, we mustn't forget that the articulated prepositions agree with the noun that follows like the definite articles. This means that we will use:
- Dell’, all’, dall’, nell’, sull’ before singular feminine and masculine names that begin by vowel
- Della, alla, dalla, nella, sulla before singular feminine names starting with a consonant
- Delle, alle, dalle, nelle, sulle before plural feminine names, both those that begin with a consonant and those that begin with a vowel
- Del, al, dal, nel, sul before singular masculine names and dei, ai, dai, nei, sui before plural masculine names, except if the noun begins with z- and y- or s + consonant or gn-, ps-. In these cases we will use the singular dello, allo, dallo, nello e sullo and the plural degli, agli, dagli, negli, sugli.
ATTENTION! The simple preposition "con" can be combined with the definite articles, becoming:
il lo la l’ i gli le
con col collo colla coll’ coi cogli colle
The use of these forms, however, is not widespread, in fact it's preferd to use the detached form “con il”, “con lo”, “con i”... However, it's important that you know that both forms are correct.
For example:
Sbuccio la mela con il coltello.
Sbuccio la mela col coltello.
Obviously, as one can guess, the simple prepositions per, tra, fra when they are followed by the definite article remain unchanged, that is, don't join the article.
For example:
Questo è il detersivo per il bucato.