You’ve meticulously memorized your verb conjugations. You can order a cappuccino with confidence. But then you try to say something slightly more complex, like “I started to learn Italian”, and you freeze. Is it “Ho iniziato a imparare” or “Ho iniziato di imparare”?
Welcome to one of the most maddening hurdles in Italian: the tiny, seemingly random prepositions that follow a verb. These little words, often a or di, are the glue that connects a main verb to a subsequent action (another verb in the infinitive). While there’s no single magic rule, don’t despair! There are distinct patterns and logical groups that, once you see them, will bring a new level of fluency and confidence to your speech.
Let’s demystify the great “a or di” debate.
The grammatical pattern we’re tackling is Verbo + preposizione + verbo all'infinito
. For example:
The challenge is knowing which preposition belongs with which verb. Think of the verb and its preposition as a single unit, a “verb phrase” that you should learn together. We’ll break them down into categories.
The preposition a often implies movement towards an action, a beginning, or a preparation for something. If you can sense a shift or a purpose, ‘a’ is often your best bet.
If you’re starting, continuing, or even hurrying to do something, you’ll almost always use a.
This is one of the most intuitive categories. When you’re going somewhere with the purpose of performing an action, use a.
These verbs involve preparing for, trying, or succeeding at an action.
The preposition di often follows verbs related to expression, thought, or opinion. It can also be seen as the opposite of ‘a’ when it comes to finishing or stopping an action.
If you’re expressing a thought, hope, belief, or command, you’ll need di.
This is the logical counterpart to the “beginning” verbs that take ‘a’.
These verbs involve a mental commitment or a state of mind.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a language without a few quirks!
So, back to our original question. Do you say inizio a or inizio di? While you might occasionally hear inizio di in some regional dialects or older literature, the modern, standard, and overwhelmingly correct choice when followed by an infinitive is iniziare a. The same goes for cominciare a. Stick with ‘a’ for these, and you’ll always be right.
Some of the most common verbs, the modal (or “helping”) verbs, connect directly to an infinitive without any preposition at all. Be careful not to add one!
Verbs of preference like preferire (to prefer) and piacere (to like) also fall into this category: Preferisco restare a casa. / Mi piace leggere.
Sometimes the preposition isn’t just a grammatical requirement; it changes the verb’s meaning entirely. The classic example is cercare.
How do you commit all this to memory? Don’t just drill raw lists.
Mastering verb-preposition pairs is a significant step towards sounding less like a student and more like a fluent speaker. It’s the subtle detail that makes sentences flow. So next time you hesitate, think about the meaning and the pattern. Is it a start or a finish? A thought or a movement? You’ve got this. Continua a provare!
Contrary to Hollywood depictions, lip-reading is less like a superpower and more like a high-stakes…
Which came first: the editor or the edit? The answer reveals a fascinating linguistic process…
Ever wonder why "Grandma's slow-cooked apple pie" sounds more appealing than just "apple pie"? The…
Ever wonder why people in isolated places like an Appalachian hollow develop such a unique…
Ever wonder why scientists use a "dead" language to name living things? Scientific Latin is…
Unlike English, the Irish language doesn't have a single verb for "to have." Instead, to…
This website uses cookies.