Italian
In Italian, prepositions merge with direct articles in predictable ways. The prepositions a, da, di, in, su, con and per combine with the various forms of the direct article, namely il, lo, la, l', i, gli, gl', and le.
| il | lo | la | l' | i | gli | (gl') | le | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| a | al | allo | alla | all' | ai | agli | (agl') | alle |
| da | dal | dallo | dalla | dall' | dai | dagli | (dagl') | dalle |
| di | del | dello | della | dell' | dei | degli | (degl') | delle |
| in | nel | nello | nella | nell' | nei | negli | (negl') | nelle |
| su | sul | sullo | sulla | sull' | sui | sugli | (sugl') | sulle |
| con | col | (collo) | (colla) | (coll') | coi | (cogli) | (colle) | |
| per | (pel) | (pello) | (pella) | (pell') | (pei) | (pegli) | (pelle) |
- Contractions with a, da, di, in, and su are mandatory, but those with con and per are optional.
- Words in parentheses are no longer commonly used, but some still exist in common expressions such as colla voce.
- Formerly, gl' was used before words beginning with i, however it is no longer in common use.
The words ci and è (form of essere, to be) and the words vi and è are contracted into c'è and v'è (both meaning "there is").
- “C'è / V'è un problema” — There is a problem
The words dove and è are contracted into dov'è ("where is").
Read more about this topic: Contraction (grammar)
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