Class: Italian prepositions – Place

Italian prepositions class: Place

Tuesday Jan 18 at 9:00 AM (Italian time)

1. Make sure the timezone is set correctly in your profile. To check the time in your country use this TIME CONVERTER.

2. Sign in into EDUFIRE HERE (or register if it’s your first time, it’s free).

3. Register for the class and pay the 15$ fee.

4. At the day and time of the class go to your ‘My eduFire’ page and click the ‘Join Now’ link.

5. Follow the instructions and remember to use “edufire” as your classroom password.

“Place” is used here to refer to literal and metaphorical situationsconveying the place where something happens, or moving toward,from, through, etc., a place, a person, or a situation.

Vado a scuola. I’m going to school.

Sono in ufficio. I’m at the office.

Sono di Roma. I’m from Rome.

Emma ha divorziato. Emma got divorced da Renato from Renato.

English is rather strict in the use of prepositions of place. If you are moving toward something you have to use the preposition to or one of its compounds: into, onto, toward, etc.

If you are moving away fromsomething, you have to use the preposition from. Italian is much more flexible in the use of prepositions.

In Italian, prepositions of place do not tell us whether the action regards movement or not, as English prepositions of place often do. Other words in the sentence, especially the verb, convey this information.

Compare the following:

Sono a scuola dalle otto all’una. They are in school from8 A.M. to 1 P.M.

Vanno a scuola a piedi. They walk to school.

In Italian, the preposition is used to express other aspects of one’s position is space. For example, we use a when we talk about being in a position at a point (a casa) and we use in when we place something within a larger area (in Italia).