Di or A?
It depends. In Italian, there are a number of verbs that are followed by a preposition and an infinitive verb (e.g., iniziare a fare qualcosa or finire di fare qualcosa).
Because these Italian prepositions do not appear in the English equivalents of the verbs, this can often cause confusion.
To clarify, not all Italian verbs are followed by a preposition. Most verbs do not require one. However, some very common verbs are followed by a or di before an infinitive verb.
For example, the verbs:
- finire di
- continuare a
- iniziare a
- sperare di, and others.
Unfortunately, in these cases, there isn’t a clear rule, but all it takes is memorizing the correct preposition for each expression.
Italian Verbs Followed by ‘A’ (+ Infinitive Verb)
| cominciare a | to start doing something |
| iniziare a | to start doing something |
| continuare a | to keep doing something |
| provare a | to try to do something |
| incoraggiare a | to encourage to do something |
| aiutare a | to help to do something |
| riuscire a | to manage to do something |
| abituarsi a | to get used to doing something |
| convincere a | to persuade to do something |
| imparare a | to learn to do something |
| sbrigarsi a | to hurry up to do something |
| mettersi a | to start doing something |
When using these verbs, follow the pattern verb + preposition + infinitive only the subject of both verbs is the same. To better understand how these verbs work, let’s look at some examples in sentences:
Examples:
- Ho imparato a suonare il piano a 12 anni.
I learned to play the piano at 12. - Luca ha iniziato a giocare a tennis l’anno scorso.
Luca started playing tennis last year. - Mia sorella mi ha incoraggiato a studiare italiano.
My sister encouraged me to study Italian. - Non ho mai provato a cucinare questo dolce.
I have never tried to cook this dessert. - Finalmente mi sono abituata a guidare negli Stati Uniti.
I finally got used to driving in the United States.
Test Your Italian
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| finire di | to finish doing something |
| terminare di | to finish doing something |
| smettere di | to stop doing something |
| cercare di | to try to do something |
| pensare di | to think about doing something |
| immaginare di | to imagine doing something |
| ricordare / ricordarsi di | to remember to do something |
| dimenticare / dimenticarsi di | to forget to do something |
| proporre di | to propose doing something |
| consigliare di | to recommend doing something |
| sperare di | to hope to do something |
| chiedere di | to ask to do something |
| domandare di | to ask to do something |
| scegliere di | to choose to do something |
| decidere di | to decide to do something |
When using these verbs, follow the pattern verb + preposition + infinitive only the subject of both verbs is the same. To better understand how these verbs work, let’s look at some examples in sentences:
Examples:
- Ieri ho finito di lavorare a mezzanotte.
I finished work at midnight yesterday. - Ho deciso di iscrivermi a un corso di karate.
I decided to sign up for a karate course. - Marco ha deciso di cambiare lavoro.
Marco has decided to change his job. - Spero di superare l’esame.
I hope to pass the exam.
