In Italian, five prepositions — di, a, da, in, su — automatically merge with the definite article that follows them to form a single contracted word. These combined forms are called preposizioni articolate. They are mandatory in standard Italian: you cannot say 'di il' — you must say 'del'. Similarly, 'a il' is always 'al', 'in il' is always 'nel', and so on. The contraction depends on the gender, number, and first sound of the following noun.
| Preposition | il | lo | la | l' | i | gli | le |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| di | del | dello | della | dell' | dei | degli | delle |
| a | al | allo | alla | all' | ai | agli | alle |
| da | dal | dallo | dalla | dall' | dai | dagli | dalle |
| in | nel | nello | nella | nell' | nei | negli | nelle |
| su | sul | sullo | sulla | sull' | sui | sugli | sulle |
Con, per, tra, and fra do NOT contract with the definite article in modern standard Italian. Always say: con il, con la, per il, per la, tra il, fra la, etc. Note: 'col' (con + il) exists but is considered old-fashioned or informal — avoid it in formal writing.
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'del' and 'della' — di + il / di + la
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'dell'' and 'dello' — di + l' / di + lo
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'dei', 'degli', 'delle' — di + plural articles
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'di' Contractions — All 7 Forms
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'di' Contractions — Full Sentences
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'di' Contractions — Partitive Use (some of the)
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'di' Contractions — Varied Contexts
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'di' Contractions — Challenge Round
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Context Sentences — di + article contractions
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'di' Contractions — Group 1 Review
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'al' and 'alla' — a + il / a + la
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'allo' and 'all'' — a + lo / a + l'
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'ai', 'agli', 'alle' — a + plural articles
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'a' Contractions — All 7 Forms
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'a' Contractions — In Sentences
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'a' Contractions — Clock Times and Time Expressions
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'a' Contractions — Varied Sentences
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'a' Contractions — Challenge Round
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Context Sentences — a + article contractions
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'a' Contractions — Group 2 Review
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'dal' and 'dalla' — da + il / da + la
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'dall'' and 'dallo' — da + l' / da + lo
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'dai', 'dagli', 'dalle' — da + plural articles
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'da' Contractions — All 7 Forms
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'da' Contractions — In Sentences
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'da' Contractions — Varied Contexts
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'da' Contractions — Challenge Round
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'da' vs 'di' Contractions — Contrast
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Context Sentences — da + article contractions
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'da' Contractions — Group 3 Review
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nel, nella, nell' — in + il / in + la / in + l'
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'in' Contractions — All 7 Forms
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sul, sulla, sull' — su + il / su + la / su + l'
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'su' Contractions — All 7 Forms
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'in' vs 'su' Contractions — Contrast
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'in' and 'su' Contractions — In Sentences
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'in' and 'su' Contractions — Challenge
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del / al / dal / nel / sul — Five Contractions Contrast
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'in' and 'su' Contractions — Group 4 Review
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Group 4 Challenge — in, su + all forms
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Mixed — All Contractions (Set 1)
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Mixed — All Contractions (Set 2)
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Mixed — All Contractions (Set 3)
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Mixed — All Contractions (Set 4)
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Mixed — All Contractions (Set 5)
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Find the Wrong Contraction
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Contraction Translation — English to Italian
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Correct Contraction in Context
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Comprehensive Contractions Review
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Contractions — Final Challenge
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