Do you know the difference between di and da? These two Italian prepositions are easily confused by learners of the language, but in this article we’re going to look at the most common uses of each of these prepositions in Italian so that you never confuse them again!
The Coffee Break Italian Show is a series of bite-sized, friendly podcast episodes, in which we unpack and explain tricky topics for Italian learners. Join Francesca and Maurizio in our latest episode to find out more about the Italian prepositions di and da, and to learn when to use each of them.
So, let’s get into the topic, and we’d recommend listening to the podcast episode as you go. Plus, make sure to look out for your free worksheet at the end, to help you test your knowledge!
The Italian preposition ‘di’
First up, let’s talk about di. When it comes to prepositions in Italian, di often expresses origin, ownership, or composition. For example:
Questa è la bici di Matteo.
This is Matteo’s bike. (Ownership)
Ho comprato una cravatta di seta.
I bought a silk tie. (Composition)
When you were learning how to ask someone where they come from, you may have learned something along the lines of the following phrases:
Di dove sei?
Where are you from?
Sono di Torino.
I am from Turin.
Here, we’re using the preposition di to indicate your place of origin.
The Italian preposition ‘da’
Now, let’s turn our attention to the preposition da. Da typically expresses movement from a location.
You may have come across another possibility when learning how to talk about where you come from:
Da dove vieni?
Where do you come from?
Vengo da Torino.
I come from Turin.
So, when it comes to choosing between prepositions in Italian to say where you come from, just remember the following:
essere + di or venire + da
If you’re giving the name of your country, we need to remember to include the article, and in this case we can only use venire da. For example:
Vengo dall’Italia.
I come from Italy.
Vengo dalla Scozia.
I come from Scotland.
Here, we’re using the articulated form of the preposition da, where it is combined with the definite article.
Using the preposition ‘da’ with a person’s place
However, da doesn’t always mean “from”. In fact, this Italian preposition can be used in various contexts.
Da can also indicate movement towards or location at a person’s house, or a professional’s shop or office.
For instance, if you had been at a doctor’s appointment, you would say:
Sono andato dal dottore.
I went to the doctor’s.
But we would also use da to indicate your current location, rather than destination. For example:
Sono dal dottore adesso.
I’m at the doctor’s just now.
As you can see, da can be translated in different ways in English, depending on the context. So, remember that it is important not to associate Italian prepositions with just one meaning in English.
When it is used with a person’s name, the Italian preposition da is used to talk about going to or being at someone’s place or house. Here are some examples:
Vado da Francesca.
I’m going to Francesca’s (house).
Sono da Francesca.
I’m at Francesca’s (house).
Choosing between the Italian prepositions ‘di’ and ‘da’
In this podcast episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show, Francesca and Maurizio mention a particularly interesting use of di and da, where the choice of preposition can quite drastically change the meaning.
Imagine you’re enjoying a nice cup of coffee. To refer to what you’re drinking, you’d use the following phrase:
una tazza di caffè
a cup of coffee
Here, we know that it is a cup that contains coffee.
However, if you’re in a shop and looking to buy some new coffee cups for your house, what you are looking for is the following:
una tazza da caffè
a coffee cup
When the preposition da is used in this phrase, it introduces the purpose or function of the cup, but there isn’t necessarily currently any coffee in it.
Let’s see two more examples of this difference in full sentences:
Vorrei sei tazze di caffè.
I would like six cups of coffee.
Vorrei sei tazze da caffè.
I would like six coffee cups.
You will come across the same difference between these two prepositions in Italian in other contexts. For example, compare the following phrases:
un bicchiere di vino
a glass of wine
un bicchiere da vino
a wine glass
A final, subtle difference between ‘di’ and ‘da’
Let’s look at one more common context in which it can be tricky to choose between the Italian prepositions di and da.
Consider the distinction between the following phrases:
un libro di Italo Calvino
an Italo Calvino book
un libro scritto da Italo Calvino
a book written by Italo Calvino
You may recognise that the second phrase is using a passive structure. In the passive voice, the preposition da is used to introduce what is known grammatically as the agent – the person by whom the action has been performed. In a full sentence, our example would be as follows:
Questo libro è stato scritto da Italo Calvino.
This book was written by Italo Calvino.
Francesca and Maurizio mention in the podcast episode that Calvino’s books are some of their favourites. If you’re not already familiar with his works, we have another Coffee Break Italian podcast episode all about Calvino.
Let’s look at two final examples – this time comparing the use of the prepositions di and da when talking about a film.
un film di Federico Fellini
a Federico Fellini film
un film che è stato diretto da Federico Fellini
a film that was directed by Federico Fellini
A visual summary of the Italian prepositions ‘di’ and ‘da’
We hope that you now feel more confident choosing between di and da. However, these two prepositions in Italian can be easily mixed up by anyone, so don’t worry if you make mistakes, as native speakers will still understand what you mean.
To get the most out of this article, we’d recommend watching or listening to the full podcast episode with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show. And don’t forget to subscribe on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts so that you always know when there’s a new episode available.
Finally, if you’d like more help with your Italian, you can sign up to receive regular, free email lessons, which will arrive straight to your inbox. Just sign up at the bottom of this article.
Keep listening out for uses of di and da, so that you become more familiar with these two Italian prepositions. In the meantime, as always, happy Coffee Breaking!
