"On" in Italian (su)
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Sign up for freeThe preposition on (su) has a lot of uses in Italian.
Lesson outline
HideLocation
When su indicates a location, it translates as on, above or over.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| La biro è sul libro | The pen is on the book |
| Il sapone e’ nel mobile sopra la lavatrice | The soap is in the cabinet above the washing machine |
| C'è un ponte sul fiume | There's a bridge over the river |
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Ilaria C. 
Melissa C.
Valentina P.
Marco D.
Camilla R.
Giuliana S.
Topic of a speech or writing
When su indicates the topic of a speech or writing, it translates as on or about.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Tenere una conferenza sulle cure oncologiche | To give a lecture on cures for cancer |
| Si è scritto molto su questo argomento | A lot has been written about this topic |
Approximation (age, price, measures)
When su indicates an approximation, it translates as about.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Quella donna sembra avere sui quarant'anni | That woman seems to be about forty years old |
| Ha una macchina che costa sui cinquantamila euro | He has a car that cost about 50'000 euros |
| Il pacco pesa sui due chili | The package weights about two kilos |
Distributive (groups, grades)
When su has a distributive function translates as in or out of.
| Italian | English |
|---|---|
| Un ragazzo su tre trova lavoro | One boy in three find a job |
| Giorgia ha ottenuto il punteggio di quattro su cinque | Giorgia got the score of four out of five |