Italian preposition "a" (at, to,...)
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Sign up for freeThe preposition a (at) has a lot of uses in Italian.
Lesson outline
HideMeanings of A
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Elena M. 
Francesca A.
Silvia P.
Azzurra C.
Gabriele D.
Silvia B.
Marianna D.
Giulia T.
Simona S.
Chiara S.
Direction and location in space (cities and public places)
When a expresses a direction, it translates as to.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Andare a Milano | To go to Milan |
| Andare al mare | To go to the seaside |
When a expresses location in space:
- it usually translates as in with names of cities
- it usually translates as at with public places
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Abitare a Milano | To live in Milan |
| Essere al mare | To be at the seaside |
Exact time or moment (hour, age)
When a expresses an exact time or moment, it usually translates as at.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Alle sei | At six o'clock |
| A sedici anni | At sixteen |
Be careful! Unlike English, some Italian expressions need the article after the preposition (see Italian articulated prepositions)
Alle sei → At six o'clock
Months behave differently. In this case, a translates as in.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| A maggio | In May |
| A luglio | In July |
Distance in space and time
When a expresses a distance in terms of space and time, it translates as away (placed after the complement expressing distance).
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Lavoro a due chilometri da qui | I work two kilometres away from here |
| Roma è a tre ore da Firenze | Rome is three hours away from Florence |
Indirect object
When a expresses an indirect object, it usually translates as to.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Voglio dare questo libro a te | I want to give this book to you (I want to give you this book) |
| Tu hai scritto una lettera a Maria | You wrote a letter to Maria |
Typical expressions
In the following table you can find a list of typical Italian expressions that are introduced by the preposition "a".
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| a destra | to the right |
| all'oscuro | in the dark (without knowledge) |
| a sinistra | to the left |
| all'alba | at sunrise |
| al mattino | in the morning |
| al tramonto | at sunset |
| a cominciare da | beginning with, starting from |
| a momenti | sporadically, sometimes |
| al momento | at present, now |
| all'ultimo momento | at the last minute |
| a bocca aperta | open-mouthed |
| rimanere a bocca asciutta | to be left empty- handed |
| a braccia aperte | open-armed |
| alla buona | simple, informally |
| a malincuore | reluctantly |
| fatto a mano | handmade, hand-crafted |
| a mano a mano | little by little |
| rapina a mano armata | armed robbery |
| imparare a memoria | to learn by heart |
| a metà | halfway |
| ad ogni costo | come hell or high water |
| ad ogni modo | in any case, at any rate |
| (stare/calzare) a pennello | to a "t" |
| a/alla perfezione | perfectly, just right |
| a pois | polka-dotted |
| a quadri | checked (of material) |
| a rovescio | inside out |
| a strisce | striped |
| a tempo pieno | full time |
| a tutta velocità | at full speed |
| a vicenda | in turn, each other |
| a voce alta | in a loud voice |
| a voce bassa | in a soft voice |
| all'altezza | up to a task |
| a bruciapelo | point break |
| a buon mercato | cheap |
| a lungo andare | in the long run |
| a volontà | at will, as much as you want |
| a mio avviso | in my opinion |
| a capo | new paragraph (in dictation) |
| a posto | tidy |
| mettere a posto | to tidy up |
| è tutto a posto | everything's fine |
| a proposito di | speaking about |