Improper prepositions are adverbs, adjectives, or verbs that can also be used as a preposition.
As prepositions, they always precede a noun and introduce an indirect complement:
- Ti telefono dopo pranzo.
- I’ll call you after lunch
- Camminavo lungo la spiaggia.
- I walked along the beach.
- Il cane correva dietro il suo padrone.
- The dog ran after his master.
Improper prepositions can be:
1. Adverbs used as prepositions
These adverbs, when used alone and specify the meaning of the verb, have the value of adverbs, But when they introduce a noun and form a complement they are prepositions:
| Word (Adv/Prep) | As adverb (alone) | As improper preposition (introducing a complement) |
| davanti (in front) | Sto davanti. (I stand in front.) | La macchina è davanti alla casa. (The car is in front of the house.) |
| dietro (behind) | Vieni dietro. (Come behind.) | Si nascose dietro all’albero. (He hid behind the tree.) |
| dentro (inside) | È dentro. (It’s inside.) | Mettilo dentro la scatola. (Put it inside the box.) |
| fuori (outside) | Siamo fuori. (We are outside.) | Aspettami fuori dal cinema. (Wait for me outside the cinema.) |
| sopra (above/on) | Il gatto è saltato sopra. (The cat jumped on top.) | Il libro è sopra il tavolo. (The book is on the table.) |
| sotto (under) | Guarda sotto. (Look under.) | È sotto il letto. (It’s under the bed.) |
| prima (before) | Arrivò prima. (He arrived earlier.) | Partiamo prima di mezzogiorno. (We leave before noon.) |
| dopo (after) | Arrivò dopo. (He arrived later.) | Ci vediamo dopo la lezione. (We’ll meet after the lesson.) |
| insieme (together) | Lavoriamo insieme. (We work together.) | Esco insieme a te. (I go out together with you.) |
| contro (against) | Lotta contro. (He fights against.) | È contro il progetto. (He is against the project.) |
| circa (about) | (Used only as prep) | Costa circa venti euro. (It costs about twenty euros.) |
| lungo (along) | Il fiume è lungo. (The river is long.) | Camminiamo lungo il fiume. (We walk along the river.) |
2. Adjectives used as prepositions
These are descriptive adjectives that have been grammaticalized to introduce complements, often indicating spatial relationships or exceptions.
| Word (Adj/Prep) | As adjective (agreeing) | As improper preposition (invariable) |
| vicino (near) | La casa vicina. (The nearby house.) | Abito vicino alla scuola. (I live near the school.) |
| lontano (far) | Un paese lontano. (A faraway village.) | È lontano da qui. (It is far from here.) |
| lungo (long) | Una strada lunga. (A long road.) | Cammina lungo il viale. (He walks along the avenue.) |
| secondo (second) | Il secondo giorno. (The second day.) | Secondo me, ha ragione. (According to me, he’s right.) |
| salvo (safe) | I passeggeri sono salvi. (The passengers are safe.) | Tutti sono partiti, salvo Luca. (Everyone left, except Luca.) |
| escluso (excluded) | I nomi esclusi dalla lista. (The names excluded from the list.) | Tutti pagano, esclusi i bambini. (Everyone pays, children excluded.) |
3. Verbal forms used as prepositions (preposizioni verbali)
This is the most grammatically advanced subgroup. These are present or past participles that have almost entirely lost their verbal nature and tense value, fossilizing into prepositions or conjunctions. They are common in formal, bureaucratic, and literary registers.
| Word (verbal origin) | Verbal meaning | As improper preposition/conjunction |
| durante (from durare) | “lasting” | Durante il viaggio, parlammo molto. (During the trip, we talked a lot.) |
| mediante (from mediare) | “mediating” | Risolse il problema mediante un trucco. (He solved the problem by means of a trick.) |
| nonostante (from nonostante) | “not opposing” | Nonostante la pioggia, uscimmo. (Despite the rain, we went out.) |
| eccetto (from eccettare) | “excepted” | Tutti, eccetto lei, erano d’accordo. (Everyone, except her, agreed.) |
| escluso (from escludere) | “excluded” | Aperto tutti i giorni, escluso il lunedì. (Open every day, except Monday.) |
| stante (from stare) | “standing” | Stante la situazione, è meglio rimandare. (Given the situation, it’s better to postpone.) |
| visto (from vedere) | “seen” | Visto il cattivo tempo, annulliamo. (Given the bad weather, we cancel.) |
| considerato (from considerare) | “considered” | Considerata la tua età, hai fatto bene. (Considering your age, you did well.) |
Key Features:
- Invariable: They never change form (durante is always durante, even before plural nouns).
- Fossilized Meaning: Their meaning is fixed and no longer relates directly to the action of the verb (mediante simply means “by means of,” not “mediating”).
- Register: They often impart a formal, written, or legal tone.
There are improper prepositions (preposizioni improprie) that can join other proper prepositions (preposizioni proprie) giving rise to prepositional phrases (locuzioni preposizionali):
Next lesson:
Le locuzioni preposizionali / Prepositional phrases.