Italian Prepositions: In or A?

In or A? How to Use These Italian Prepositions

One of the most common mistakes for Italian learners is choosing between the prepositions a and in. And that’s completely normal.

Sometimes there are clear rules for when to use in and when to use a. But in many cases, there’s no absolute rule—you simply have to learn them in context.

The Preposition A

When to use “a”:

1. Before the names of cities
   • Vado a Venezia. – I’m going to Venice.
   • Vivo a Palermo. – I live in Palermo.
     If the city name starts with a vowel, a becomes ad for smoother pronunciation:
   • Vivo ad Amburgo. – I live in Hamburg.
   • Vivo ad Alessandria. – I live in Alessandria.
2. Before the names of small states
   • Vado a San Marino. – I’m going to San Marino.
   • Vado a Gibilterra. – I’m going to Gibraltar.
3. Before the names of small islands
   • Vado a Malta. – I’m going to Malta.
   • Vado a Ibiza. – I’m going to Ibiza.
4. With cardinal points
   • a Sud, a Nord, a Est, a Ovest
5. With certain verbs followed by an infinitive
   • continuare a – Continuo a studiare più tardi. (I’ll continue studying later.)
   • cominciare a – Comincio a lavorare alle 9. (I start working at 9.)
   • iniziare a – Ho iniziato a studiare italiano 5 anni fa. (I started studying Italian 5 years ago.)
   • aiutare a – Mi aiuti a pulire? (Can you help me clean?)
   • essere abituato a – Non sono abituato a parlare in pubblico. (I’m not used to speaking in public.)
   • riuscire a – Non riesco a dormire. (I can’t manage to sleep.)

Smart Tip: The best way to master prepositions is to learn them in “chunks”—that is, set phrases you memorize as a whole.
For example:

• andare al cinema (to go to the movies)
• andare all’università (to go to university)
• andare in pizzeria (to go to a pizzeria)

A chunk (or expression) is a recurring combination of words and prepositions (or words and verbs). Learning these patterns will save you from second-guessing every sentence.

The Preposition IN

When to use “in”:

1. Before the names of countries
   • Vivo in Italia. – I live in Italy.
   • Vivo in Germania. – I live in Germany.
     If the country is grammatically plural, use nei or negli:
   • Vivo negli Stati Uniti. – I live in the United States.
   • Vivo nei Paesi Bassi. – I live in the Netherlands.
2. Before the names of regions or states
   • Vivo in Lombardia. – I live in Lombardy.
   • Vivo in Texas. – I live in Texas.
3. Before the names of big islands
   • Vivo in Sicilia. – I live in Sicily.
   • Vivo in Sardegna. – I live in Sardinia.
4. Before the names of streets or squares
   • Vivo a Londra, in Oxford Street. – I live in London, on Oxford Street.
   • Vivo a Milano, in via Petrarca. – I live in Milan, on Via Petrarca.
5. Before the names of shops or places ending in -ia
   • in farmacia – at the pharmacy
   • in pizzeria – at the pizzeria
   • in gelateria – at the ice cream shop
   • in macelleria – at the butcher’s
   • in periferia – in the outskirts
   • in profumeria – at the perfume shop
   • in campagna – in the countryside

How to Really Learn Prepositions

While there are patterns and general rules for a and in, you’ll often run into exceptions. The fastest way to get them right is to memorize the most common expressions as fixed phrases, just like a native speaker does. For example: vado a lezione, vado in palestra, etc.

Common Expressions Using The Preposition In

Common Expressions Using The Preposition A