Italian preposition "da" (by, from,...)
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Sign up for freeThe preposition da (by/from) has a lot of uses in Italian.
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Michela P. 
Marzia F.
Silvia M.
Elisabetta R.
Giuseppina I.
Daniela V.
Abdessamad B.
Roberta G.
Roberto F. 
Andrea B.
Starting point in space / Origin
When da expresses a starting point in space, it translates as from.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| A che ora torni da Napoli? | What time do you come back from Napoli? |
| Da dove vengono questi turisti? | Where do these tourists come from? |
Motion "through" something
When da expresses a motion through something (like space), it translates as through.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Luigi è uscito dalla finestra | Luigi went out through the window |
| Per andare in cucina devi passare dalla porta | You have to get through the door to go to the kitchen |
Starting point in time
When da expresses a starting point in time, it translates as from, as for or as since.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Da ora in poi | From now on |
| Studiamo olandese da due anni | We've been studying Dutch for two years |
| Lavori qui dal mese scorso | You've been working here since last month |
Be careful! In Italian, since and for translate both as da
For usually is not followed by the article
Since usually is followed by the article (see Italian articulated preposition)
Current location
When da expresses a current location location, it translates as at.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Sono da Miriam per pranzare | I am at Miriam's to have lunch |
| Siamo dal dentista | We are at the dentist's |
Agent in passive sentences
When da introduces the agent complement in passive sentences, it translates as by.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Il libro è stato scritto dal nostro insegnante | The book was written by our teacher |
| Il giornale è letto da molte persone | The newspaper is read by many people |
Characteristics
When da indicates characteristics, it usually translates as with.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| La ragazza dai capelli biondi | The girl with blonde hair |
| L'uomo dall'abito blu | The man in the blue suit |
Purposes
When da indicates a purpose, it doesn't translate and it is not included in the sentence.
The noun indicating the purpose precedes the noun they refer to.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Tuta da corsa | Racing suit |
| Tazza da té | Teacup |
Typical expressions
In the following table you can find a list of typical Italian expressions that are introduced by the preposition "da" (mainly with verbs).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| ricominciare da capo | to start over |
| avere da fare | to be busy |
| avere da ridire | to find fault with |
| dare da pensare | to make someone think |
| darsi da fare | to keep busy |
| non avere niente da dire | to have nothing to say |
| venire da ridere | to feel like laughing |
| venire da piangere | to feel like crying |