Italian preposition "per" (for, to,...)
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Sign up for freeThe preposition per (for) has a lot of uses in Italian.
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Simone P. 
Serena M.
Eleonora P.
Sara M.
SEBASTIANO M.
Giulia R.
Serena A.
Pia B. 
Irene I.
Myrea Q.
Duration
When per indicates a duration, it translates as for.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Il bambino ha dormito per 3 ore | The child slept for three hours |
| Ti ho aspettato per mezz'ora | I waited for you for an hour |
Destination in space
When per indicates destination, it translates as to.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Giovanni ha appena preso l'aereo per Miami | Giovanni has just caught the plane to Miami |
| La strada per andare a Roma è molto lunga | The way to go to Rome is very long |
Movement "through" something
When per expresses a motion "through" something (literal and figurative), it translates as through.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| L'autostrada passa per Siena | The highway goes through Siena |
| Un'idea mi è passata per la mente | An idea went through my mind |
Reason
When per introduces a reason, it translates as for or as because of.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Ti ammiro per la tua pazienza | I admire you for your patience |
| Non posso lavorare fuori per il freddo | I can't work outside because of the cold |
Purposes
When per indicates a purpose, it translates as to.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Lui l'ha detto per infastidirmi | He said that to annoy me |
| Cosa posso fare per aiutarti? | What can I do to help you? |
Imminence of an action
When per expresses the imminence of an action, it translates as to.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Elisa sta per finire il lavoro | Elisa is going to finish the work. |
| Voi state per partire per il Messico | You are going to go to Mexico. |
Price and measure
When per introduces a price or a measure, it translates as for.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Tu hai preso quella torta per soli 15 euro | You took that cake for only 15 euros |
| Hanno camminato per venti chilometri senza fermarsi | They walked for twenty kilometres without taking a break |
Typical expressions
In the following table you can find a list of typical Italian expressions that are introduced by the preposition "per".
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| per amor del cielo | for heaven's sake |
| per carità | gosh |
| per di più | in addition |
| per errore | by mistake |
| per esempio | for example |
| per farla breve | to make a long story short |
| per favore | please |
| per filo e per segno | to the letter, in every detail |
| per giunta | in addition |
| per iscritto | in writing |
| per legge | by law |
| per lo meno | at least |
| per lo più | at most |
| per mezzo di | by means of |
| per modo di dire | so to speak |
| per niente | for no reason at all |
| per quanto mi riguarda | as far as I'm concerned |
| per sbaglio | by mistake |
| per sempre | forever |
| prendere lucciole per lanterne | to make a blunder |
| salvarsi per un pelo | to escape by the skin of one's teeth |