Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

This lesson explains Italian place prepositions used with 'andare' to express movement and location, such as 'in', 'a', 'da', 'per', and 'verso'. It covers rules for countries, cities, transport, direction, and origin, with practical examples to help learners distinguish their uses effectively.
Preposizione (Preposition)Uso (Use)Esempio (Example)
Andare + inPaesi, regioni, trasporti, luoghi chiusi (Countries, regions, transport, enclosed spaces)

Vado in macchina (I go in a car)

Andiamo in stazione (Let's go to the station)

Andare + aCittà, luoghi precisi, eventi o casa (Cities, precise places, events or home)

Vai a Roma (Go to Rome)

Andiamo a cena (Let's go to dinner)

Andare + versoDirezione approssimativa, generale (Approximate, general direction)

Andiamo verso la stazione (Let's go towards the station)

Va verso la piazza (He goes towards the square)

DaProvenienza (Origin)Vengo da Torino (I come from Turin)
PerDestinazione, attraverso un luogo (Destination, through a place)

Questo biglietto è per Roma (This ticket is for Rome)

Passo per il parco (I pass through the park)

Exceptions!

  1. With means of transport we use "in", but we say "andare a piedi".

Exercise 1: Le preposizioni di luogo: andare in, andare a, per, da, ecc.

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

in, da, verso, per

1.
Siamo già ... macchina, possiamo partire.
(We are already in the car, we can leave.)
2.
Camminiamo ... la stazione prima che faccia buio.
(Let's walk to the station before it gets dark.)
3.
Sono tornato ... Venezia ieri sera tardi.
(I came back from Venice late last night.)
4.
Questo autobus va ... Milano centrale.
(This bus goes to Milan Central.)
5.
Partiamo ... Firenze alle otto in punto.
(We leave Florence at eight o'clock sharp.)
6.
Passiamo ... il centro per prendere un caffè.
(Let's go through the town centre to have a coffee.)
7.
Vado ... treno ogni mattina per andare al lavoro.
(I take the train every morning to go to work.)
8.
Vengo ... scuola, sono molto stanco.
(I come from school, I am very tired.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Domani vado ___ stazione per prendere il treno.

(Tomorrow I go ___ the station to take the train.)

2. Andiamo ___ Roma per lavoro questa settimana.

(We are going ___ Rome for work this week.)

3. Vengo ___ Milano, sono appena arrivato.

(I come ___ Milan, I just arrived.)

4. Prendo il bus ___ città per andare al lavoro.

(I take the bus ___ the city to go to work.)

5. Camminiamo ___ il parco vicino a casa.

(We walk ___ the park near home.)

6. Vado ___ piedi al supermercato stasera.

(I go ___ foot to the supermarket tonight.)

Understanding Place Prepositions in Italian

This lesson covers essential Italian prepositions of place used to describe movement and location. You will learn how to correctly use prepositions like in, a, da, per, and verso combined with the verb andare (to go).

Key Prepositions and Their Uses

  • Andare + in: Used for countries, regions, means of transport, and enclosed places. Examples: Vado in macchina (I go by car), Andiamo in stazione (We go to the station).
  • Andare + a: Refers to cities, specific locations, events, or home. Examples: Vai a Roma (You go to Rome), Andiamo a cena (We go to dinner).
  • Andare + verso: Indicates an approximate or general direction. Examples: Andiamo verso la stazione (We go towards the station), Va verso la piazza (He/She goes towards the square).
  • Da: Shows origin or coming from somewhere. Example: Vengo da Torino (I come from Turin).
  • Per: Expresses destination or passing through a place. Examples: Questo biglietto è per Roma (This ticket is for Rome), Passo per il parco (I pass through the park).

Important Notes on Usage

In Italian, when talking about transport, the preposition in is commonly used, such as in macchina (by car), but when you go a piedi (on foot), a is used instead. This distinction is important for natural and correct expressions.

Comparing English and Italian Prepositions

Unlike English, where prepositions like "to" and "in" are often interchangeable depending on the context, Italian makes fine distinctions between in and a. For example, you say vado a Roma (I go to Rome - a city) but vado in Italia (I go to Italy - a country). Also, da is used to indicate origin, similar to "from" in English.

Useful phrases include:
Vado a piedi = I go on foot
Vengo da Milano = I come from Milan
Andiamo verso la stazione = We're going towards the station

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Fabio Pirioni

Bachelor in Humanities

University of Udine

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 00:19