Ask an Italian what they’re doing in August and you’ll probably get one of two answers:
Vado al mare.
Vado in montagna.
Beach or mountains? It’s practically a national question.
But these two little sentences also highlight one of the most common problems for Italian learners: when do you use a with andare (and other verbs of movements and state), and when do you use in?
The good news is that there are some useful patterns. And once you start noticing them, choosing between a and in becomes much easier.
Andare a: cities
The easiest rule to remember is that cities and towns take a:
- Vado a Roma. — I’m going to Rome.
- Andiamo a Napoli questo weekend. — We’re going to Naples this weekend.
- Vai a Londra per lavoro? — Are you going to London for work?
You also use a in a number of very common expressions. Some take no article:
- a casa
- a scuola
- a teatro
- a letto
Vado a casa. — I’m going home.
I bambini vanno a scuola. — The children are going to school.
Stasera andiamo a teatro. — Tonight we’re going to the theatre.
Vado a letto presto. — I’m going to bed early.
These are worth learning as fixed expressions. Notice that we don’t say in casa or in scuola when we mean going home or going to school.
A + article
Many other common destinations use a + definite article, which contracts to al, allo, alla, all’:
- Andiamo al mare! — Let’s go to the seaside!
- Vado al cinema stasera. — I’m going to the cinema tonight.
- Ci vediamo al bar. — See you at the bar.
- Vado al ristorante con Marco. — I’m going to the restaurant with Marco.
- Domani vado al lavoro presto. — I’m going to work early.
- Andiamo al mercato la mattina. — We go to the market in the morning.
- Vado al parco a correre. — I’m going to the park to run.
- Andate allo stadio per la partita? — Are you going to the stadium for the match?
Al and allo are preposizioni articolate; learn how they work in this blog.
Don’t just learn the rules, put them into practice with our speaking classes.
Andare in: countries, regions and areas
Now let’s look at in.
Countries generally take in:
- Vado in Italia ad agosto. — I’m going to Italy in August.
- Andiamo in Francia in treno. — We’re going to France by train.
- Vorrei andare in Giappone un giorno. — I’d like to go to Japan one day.
The same applies to regions:
- Andiamo in Toscana per il weekend. — We’re going to Tuscany for the weekend.
- Vado in Sicilia a trovare mia nonna. — I’m going to Sicily to visit my grandmother.
- Sei mai stato in Sardegna? — Have you ever been to Sardinia?
And we use in with continents:
- Vorrei andare in Asia il prossimo anno. — I’d like to go to Asia next year.
- Mi piacerebbe viaggiare in Africa. — I’d like to travel in Africa.
Furthermore, we use in with names of streets:
- Vado in via Roma 15.
- Lo studio medico è in Via Carducci 23.
Also other areas in the city (and outside of the city) take in, for example:
- In centro
- In periferia
- in campagna
- in montagna
In with names of shops
Names of shops or places that end in -ia also take in.
For example:
- in pasticceria
- in pizzeria
- in gelateria
- in salumeria
- in cartoleria
- in libreria
- in profumeria
- in segreteria
- in biglietteria
Othe places
In + country is a rule, however, there are other places that takes in and these combinations are best learnt by heart.
For example:
in edicola
in biblioteca
in banca
in piscina
in palestra
in discoteca
in ufficio
in chiesa
- Vado in banca a ritirare dei soldi. — I’m going to the bank to withdraw some money.
- Devo andare in biblioteca a studiare. — I have to go to the library to study.
- Vai in palestra oggi? — Are you going to the gym today?
A few expressions to learn as chunks
Some expressions with in are particularly common and are best learned as complete phrases:
- Vado in vacanza — I’m going on holiday
- Vado in ferie — I’m off work
- Mio padre va in pensione. — My dad is retiring.
Learning these as chunks means you don’t have to stop and work out the preposition every time you use them.
What about transport?
When talking about means of transport, in is normally used:
- Vado in treno. — I’m going by train.
- Preferisco andare in macchina. — I prefer to go by car.
- Andiamo in bici al mare? — Shall we cycle to the beach?
- Sono venuto in autobus. — I came by bus.
But there is one important exception:
a piedi = on foot
Not in piedi. That means standing up.
So:
Vado a piedi al lavoro.
I walk to work.
Devo stare in piedi.
I have to stand.
Quite an important distinction!
And then there’s… il mare
Our opening question brings us to one of those combinations that you simply need to remember:
al mare but in montagna
We say:
- D’estate vado al mare. — In summer I go to the seaside.
- D’inverno vado in montagna. — In winter I go to the mountains.
Why al mare but in montagna?
There isn’t a particularly useful rule that will help you predict this.
Sometimes, unfortunately, Italian grammar just hands you a combination and says: “Learn me.” 😄
The best way to learn a and in
Rather than memorising one enormous list of rules, start noticing common combinations whenever you hear or read Italian.
Start with the patterns explained in this article:
- a + cities
- in + countries (regions, continents and streets)
- in + shops (ending in -ia, in pizzeria)
- in + means of transport
Over time, you’ll start remembering the whole expression rather than trying to choose the preposition from scratch.
And that’s exactly what fluent speakers do.
Quick practice
Complete each sentence with a, al, in or the appropriate contracted form.
- Domani vado ___ Firenze per un weekend.
- D’estate preferisco andare ___ montagna, non ___ mare!
- Mia sorella va sempre ___ palestra la mattina.
- Andiamo ___ Grecia quest’anno, non ___ Spagna.
- Il sabato vado sempre ___ mercato vicino a casa.
Answers
- a Firenze
- in montagna, al mare
- in palestra
- in Grecia, in Spagna
- al mercato
So, next time someone asks you:
“Mare o montagna?”
you can give your answer with complete grammatical confidence.
Vado in montagna, naturalmente. 😉
Buone vacanze!
Laura
