It means W ITH a nd it is used in the same way that you would use it in English. )Apre la porta con questa chiave. Intermediate Italian Level 1 The Prepositions CON, SU, PER CON WITH SU ON / OVER PER FOR The p reposition C ON m ay be the easiest one to use out of these three. In terms of location, “su” can also refer to a sphere of influence or authority: When followed by a definite article, "su" is combined with the article to give the following combined forms known as articulated prepositions (preposizioni articolate): *This form is only used when the word following begins with a vowel, like “frasi sull’amore - phrases about love”. (I worked for an entire year. = I went to a lecture about Dante; How To Combine Italian Prepositions He is a tutor of Italian language and culture. (The book is on the table. Common prepositions in English include in, on, with, to, of and from, and in Italian in, a, di, da, per, con, su, and fra/tra. Let’s try to understand when and how to use them! ), Ho lavorato per un anno intero. Here are the various ways in which “su” can be used in Italian. )Ha risposto con gentilezza. The Italian preposition su means “on” “onto” or over. ), Questa lettera è per il direttore. (The cushion is on the couch.) (The cushion is on the couch. Last but not least, let’s take a look at the Italian preposition su. Su is used in Italian to indicate location or a topic of discourse. )Il cuscino è sul divano. For example: Livorno è fra Roma e Genova. )Ho lavorato per due giorni senza una pausa. [Giada’s suitcase] material → Il bicchiere è di vetro. (The book is on the table.) (She screamed with joy.). He is a tutor of Italian language and culture. )Taglia il pane con quel coltello. [The book is on the table] topic (except for the verb “parlare”, which requires the preposition “di”!) (He/she cuts the bread with that knife. The Italian preposition su generally expresses the concept of being above (or on top of) or indicates proximity or approximation. Su is used in Italian to indicate location or a topic of discourse. For example: Il libro è sul tavolo. Finally, there is the preposition tra or fra (these words are fraternal twins and interchangeable in all cases), which may be used in the sense of "between" (whether between two locations, things, or people), or to indicate a time in the future with respect to the speaker. By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Italian Language Lessons: Italian Prepositions Per, Su, Con, Fra/Tra, How to Use the Preposition "Con" in Italian, Ways to Use the Multi-Purpose Italian Preposition 'Di', When to Use the Partitive Article in Italian, How to Pair Italian Verbs With the Right Prepositions, Days of the Week in Italian: La Settimana, Italian Simple Prepositions: What They Are and How to Use Them, M.A., Italian Studies, Middlebury College. The Italian prepositions per, su, con, and fra/tra stand for many different words and are used in a variety of grammatical constructions. For example: Il libro è sul tavolo. (They passed through Rome. indicates: position of something (or someone) on something else (or someone else) → Il libro è sul tavolo. Examples: Mi piace studiare c on Flavia. ), Additional Italian Language Study Resources. (He/she opens the door with this key. → Scrivo un articolo sulla guerra in Siria. )Tra alcune ore arriveremo. )Sono andato con la mia famiglia. Prepositions VS Conjunctions. DI indicates: possession → La valigia è di Giada. Find more Italian words at wordhippo.com! (This letter is for the director.) (Livorno is between Rome and Genova. Italian is different from English in that it includes two distinct classes of prepositions: simple prepositions (those that appear alone), and articulated prepositions (those that are … That something is placed above something else. (Silvano is between Maria and Davide. Another useful preposition to know is su (on). (It is a conference on industrial pollution.). (He left with his cousin. Another useful preposition to know is su (on). By using ThoughtCo, you accept our, Italian Language Lessons: Italian Interrogative Pronouns, Italian Language Lessons: Italian Present Tense, How to Use the Preposition "Con" in Italian, To Finish, Complete or End: The Italian Verb Finire, Ways to Use the Multi-Purpose Italian Preposition 'Di', How to Pair Italian Verbs With the Right Prepositions, Italian Simple Prepositions: What They Are and How to Use Them, Italian Interrogatives (Pronomi Interrogativi), M.A., Italian Studies, Middlebury College. (I left with my family. Questa lettera è per il direttore. )Sono passati per Londra. )È una conferenza sull'inquinamento industriale. (In a few hours we'll arrive. )Silvano è fra Maria e Davide. )Fra qualche giorno arriverà la primavera. (I worked for two days without a break. Michael San Filippo co-wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture. The role of prepositions in a sentence is to introduce some information to a verb or a noun, and explain their function, in the form of a “complemento”. Michael San Filippo co-wrote The Complete Idiot's Guide to Italian History and Culture. (He/she responded with gentleness. [A glass made of glass] topic → Il libro è di geografia. The preposition per ("for" in English) is used to indicate the following: Sono passati per Roma. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. It is used to indicate: 1. (In a few days spring will arrive. Su can be translated as “on,” “about,” or “above.” Il libro è sullo scaffale. ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience. Il cuscino è sul divano. [I … English words for su include on, about, out, over, in, up, at, upon, on to and on top of. (This letter is for the director.). [The geography book] (They passed through London. Italian Simple Prepositions. )Lei ha gridato con gioa. The Italian prepositions are: DI, A, DA, IN, CON, SU, PER, TRA, FRA. Italian simple prepositions are eight, usually taught in the following order : DI – A- DA- IN- CON -SU -PER -TRA/FRA. The use of the preposition con is similar to the use of "with" in English: È uscito con la cugina. SU. Like all of the other prepositions in Italian, like "per" or "da", "su" can have many shades of meaning, however it generally expresses the concept of being above (or on top of) of something, indicates how close something is or gives an estimate. = The book is on the shelf; Sono andato a una conferenza su Dante.