The preposition a forms the backbone of two crucial verb-based syntactic structures in Italian. Its role is to direct the action of the verb toward a target, be that a person, a thing, or another action.
1. Verb + a + infinitive: targeting an action
This construction links a conjugated verb to a following verb in the infinitive. The preposition a acts as a bridge, indicating that the action of the main verb is oriented toward, results in, or is limited to the secondary action.
a. Inception, continuation, and cessation of an action
Verbs marking the beginning, persistence, or end of an activity.
- Cominciare a / Iniziare a / Mettersi a: to begin to.
- Comincia a piovere. (It’s starting to rain.)
- Continuare a / Seguitare a: to continue to.
- Continua a studiare. (He continues to study.)
- Fermarsi a: to stop to (do something).
- Mi sono fermato a guardare. (I stopped to look.)
- Rinunciare a: to give up (on doing something).
- Ha rinunciato a partecipare. (He gave up on participating.)
b. Inducement, habit, and adaptation
Verbs involving causing, getting used to, or limiting oneself to an action.
- Abituarsi a / Abituare a: to get used to / to accustom someone to.
- Mi sono abituato a lavorare presto. (I got used to working early.)
- Costringere a / Obbligare a / Indurre a: to force / oblige / induce to.
- La legge ci obbliga a pagare le tasse. (The law obliges us to pay taxes.)
- Limitarsi a: to limit oneself to.
- Mi limiterò a osservare. (I will limit myself to observing.)
- Imparare a / Insegnare a: to learn to / to teach to.
- Sto imparando a cucinare. (I am learning to cook.)
c. Attempt, success, and failure
Verbs related to trying, managing, or failing to do something.
- Provare a / Tentare a: to try to.
- Prova a chiamarlo. (Try to call him.)
- Riuscire a: to succeed in, to manage to.
- Non riesco a dormire. (I can’t manage to sleep.)
- Sbagliare a: to be wrong to (do something).
- Hai sbagliato a non ascoltarlo. (You were wrong not to listen to him.)
d. Purpose and aim
Verbs that express intention or service toward an action.
- Servire a / Essere utile a: to serve to / to be useful for.
- A cosa serve a preoccuparsi? (What’s the use of worrying?)
- Mirare a: to aim to.
- Il progetto mira a ridurre l’inquinamento. (The project aims to reduce pollution.)
e. Miscellaneous core verbs
- Andare a / Venire a: to go/come to (do something).
- Vado a comprare il pane. (I’m going to buy bread.)
- Aiutare a: to help to.
- Mi aiuti a capire? (Can you help me understand?)
2. Verbs + A + Noun/Pronoun: Targeting an Entity
This is the classic structure for the Complemento di Termine (Indirect Object). The preposition a marks the recipient, beneficiary, target, or addressee of the verbal action. This is one of the most frequent and fundamental constructions in Italian.
a. Communication and transfer
Verbs involving giving, saying, sending, or showing something to someone.
- Dire a / Parlare a / Raccontare a / Spiegare a: to say/speak/tell/explain to.
- Dico a te la verità. (I’m telling you the truth.)
- Dare a / Consegnare a / Regalare a / Offrire a / Prestare a: to give/deliver/gift/offer/lend to.
- Ho dato il libro a Maria. (I gave the book to Maria.)
- Scrivere a / Telefonare a / Comunicare a: to write/call/communicate to.
- Scrivo a mio fratello. (I write to my brother.)
- Mostrare a / Indicare a / Insegnare a: to show/point out/teach to.
- Mostrami a ballare. (Show me how to dance.)
b. Psychological orientation
Verbs of thinking, pleasing, seeming, and belonging.
- Pensare a: to think about/of (with active consideration).
- Penso spesso a te. (I often think about you.)
- Piacere a / Interessare a / Sembrare a / Dispiacere a: to be pleasing/interesting/seeming/regrettable to someone.
- Il film è piaciuto a tutti. (The film was liked by everyone.)
- Appartenere a: to belong to.
- Questa casa appartiene a mio zio. (This house belongs to my uncle.)
c. Command, permission, and prohibition
Verbs of ordering, allowing, forbidding, or advising.
- Ordinare a / Comandare a: to order/command someone.
- Il generale ordinò ai soldati di attaccare. (The general ordered the soldiers to attack.)
- Permettere a / Consentire a / Proibire a / Impedire a: to allow/permit/forbid/prevent someone.
- Non mi permettono di uscire. (They don’t allow me to go out. [Note: with infinitive, often uses di])
- Consigliare a / Suggerire a / Raccomandare a: to advise/suggest/recommend to someone.
- Consiglio a mio fratello di studiare di più per l’esame. (I advise my brother to study more for the exam)
d. Directed actions
Verbs where the action is physically or metaphorically aimed at someone.
- Sparare a / Rivolgersi a / Rivolgere a: to shoot at / to address/turn to.
- Ti rivolgi a me? (Are you addressing me?)
- Assistere a / Partecipare a: to attend/be present at / to participate in.
- Assisteremo alla cerimonia. (We will attend the ceremony.)
- Mancare a: to be missing to / to miss someone (emotional).
- Mi manchi. (I miss you. [Lit.: You are missing to me.])
E. Causing an effect
Verbs that create a state or result for someone.
- Far male a / Far piacere a: to hurt / to please someone.
- Mi fa male la testa. (My head hurts. [Lit.: The head hurts to me.])
- Servire a / Occorrere a: to be needed/useful to someone.
- Mi serve aiuto. (I need help. [Lit.: Help is needed to me.])
Next lesson:
Locuzioni preposizionali e avverbiali + a / Prepositional and adverbial phrases + a.