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The Preposition a by Ronald Glenn Wrigley

The preposition a can mean to, at, or in, depending on its context. You will need the preposition a to express destination or location. It must also be used before an indirect object, after certain verbs, and in many idiomatic expressions.

Destination or Location

The preposition a is used to indicate a destination or a location.

Oggi andiamo all'università.	We are going to the university today.
Vado al mercato il lunedù.	I go to the market every Monday.
Abito a Boston.	I live in Boston.

Be careful! The preposition a is used before the names of cities and towns. For example, abito a Boston means “I live in Boston.” However, the preposition in is used with larger geographical areas, such as states, large islands, countries, and continents. Vado in Italia l'anno prossimo means “I am travelling to Italy next year.”

Before an Indirect Object</h2> <p>As we know, an indirect object is a noun (or pronoun) that receives the action of the verb, usually by way of the prepositions “to” or “for,” as in “I give the book <B>to John</B>” or “I read <B>to my son</B> every evening.” Indirect objects are often introduced by the preposition <B>a</B> in Italian.</p> <table width="100%" frame="all"> <h2> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Mando un email a mio fratello.</B></p></td> <td><p><B>I am sending an e-mail to my brother.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Devo dare questa lettera a Pietro.</B></p></td> <td><p><B>I have to give this letter to Peter.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Telefono agli amici.</B></p></td> <td><p><B>They are phoning their friends.</B></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <title>Verbs and the Preposition a</h2> <p>The preposition <B>a</B> is used after several verbs that are followed by a noun (verb + <B>a</B> + noun). In many cases the use of the preposition in Italian does not parallel its use in English.</p> <p><B>Table 9-3</B></p> <div class="npmo"> <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/learning-italian/9781605500928_0138_001.jpg" format="JPG"> </div> <p>The preposition <B>a</B> is also used after several verbs when they are followed by an infinitive (verb + <B>a</B> + infinitive form of verb).</p> <p><B>Table 9-4</B></p> <div class="npmo"> <img src="http://0.tqn.com/d/np/learning-italian/9781605500928_0138_002.jpg" format="JPG"> </div> <h2>Other Uses of the Preposition a</h2> <p>The preposition <B>a</B> is used in many idiomatic expressions. There's no real pattern to its usage in these expressions, so learning them will take practice.</p> <table width="100%" frame="all"> <h2> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Ho visto il programma <B>alla televisione.</B></B></p></td> <td><p><B>I saw the show on television.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Ho sentito la canzone <B>alla radio.</B></B></p></td> <td><p><B>I heard the song on the radio.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Stasera andiamo <B>a teatro.</B></B></p></td> <td><p><B>We are going to the theater tonight.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Vuoi andare <B>al cinema</B> domani sera?</B></p></td> <td><p><B>Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow night?</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Si va <B>a piedi?</B></B></p></td> <td><p><B>Shall we go by foot?</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Studiano <B>all'estero.</B></B></p></td> <td><p><B>They are studying abroad.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Marco non è <B>a casa.</B></B></p></td> <td><p><B>Marco isn't home.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>I bambini non vanno <B>a scuola</B> la domenica</B></p></td> <td><p><B>The children don't go to school on Sundays.</B></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>I miei genitori vanno <B>a letto</B> presto.</B></p></td> <td><p><B>My parents go to bed early.</B></p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <div class="npsb"> <p></p> <p>As you probably already know, Italians are very passionate about their food. Food is to be savored in Italy, and dinner is an important and integral social activity. The expression <B>A tavola!</B> is commonly used to call people “to the table.” In American English, we use the expression “Dinner's ready!”</p> </div> <title>Exercise 9-1</h2> <p>The following are some examples of the use of the preposition <B>a</B>. Read each sentence aloud to practice your pronunciation.</p> <table width="100%" frame="all"> <h2> <tgroup cols="2"> <colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/> <colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/> <tbody> <tr> <td><p><B>Davide assomiglia ad Eugenio.</B></p></td> <td><p>Davide resembles Eugenio.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Non credo all'astrologia.</B></p></td> <td><p>I don't believe in astrology.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Ti aiuto a fare i compiti.</B></p></td> <td><p>I will help you to do your homework.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>I bambini imparano a scrivere.</B></p></td> <td><p>The children are learning to write.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Ho visto il programma alla televisione.</B></p></td> <td><p>I saw the program on television.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Vuoi andare al cinema domani sera?</B></p></td> <td><p>Do you want to go to the movies tomorrow night?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Si va a piedi?</B></p></td> <td><p>Can we walk?</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Marco non è a casa.</B></p></td> <td><p>Marco isn't home.</p></td> </tr> <tr> <td><p><B>Tutti a tavola!</B></p></td> <td><p>Everyone to the table!</p></td> </tr> </tbody> </tgroup> </table> <title>Exercise 9-2</h2> <p>Fill in the blank with the correct preposition.</p> <ul> <li><p><B>Marcello abita</B> __________________ <B>Roma.</B></p></li> <li><p><B>Il fratello</B> __________________ <B>Massimo si chiama Adriano.</B></p></li> <li><p><B>Gli studenti studiano</B> __________________ <B>biblioteca.</B></p></li> <li><p><B>Telefono</B> __________________ <B>mia madre ogni domenica.</B></p></li> <li><p><B>Non mi piace la pizza</B> __________________ <B>acciughe.</B></p></li> </ul>  <div id="pagination"><ul><li class="prev"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/prepositions/simple-prepositions.htm" title="Simple Prepositions">Simple Prepositions</a></li><li class="next"><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/prepositions/the-preposition-da.htm" title="The Preposition da">The 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Gerund</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/the-future-tense-the-imperative-mood-and-exclamations/">The Future Tense, the Imperative Mood, and Exclamations</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/the-conditional-mode-and-causative-constructions/">The Conditional Mode and Causative Constructions</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/the-passato-remoto-and-the-subjunctive/">The Passato Remoto and the Subjunctive</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/survival-phrases-dont-leave-home-without-them/">Survival Phrases: Don't Leave Home Without Them</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/italian-to-english-glossary/">Italian-to-English Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/english-to-italian-glossary/">English-to-Italian Glossary</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.netplaces.com/learning-italian/answer-key/">Answer Key</a></li> 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