When learning Italian, English speakers quickly discover that verbs don’t always combine freely. Very often, an infinitive verb must be introduced by a specific preposition, and that choice is never random.

This can be confusing for English learners. In English, we usually place verbs next to each other (“to start working”, “to stop smoking”) without adding a preposition—or we rely on patterns that don’t match Italian at all. The temptation to translate directly from English is strong, but it often leads to sentences that sound awkward or are simply incorrect.

Understanding when to use a, di, or da between two verbs is essential if you want to speak Italian naturally. These structures are extremely common, used in both spoken and written Italian, and they appear from the very first levels.

In this article, we’ll look at how verb + preposition + verb combinations work in Italian, explain the logic behind them, and give you clear examples and practical guidelines to help you avoid the most common mistakes.

1. Why prepositions matter so much in Italian

In Italian, many verbs require a specific preposition before an infinitive. This is not a stylistic choice—it’s a grammatical rule.

Saying cominciare fare or smettere fumare is incorrect. Italian requires: continuare a fare and smettere di fumare.

The good news is that these prepositions are rarely arbitrary. In most cases, they reflect a clear semantic logic: beginning or continuing an action, ending it, expressing intention, obligation, necessity, or evaluation.

Once you start recognizing these patterns, memorising them becomes much easier.

2. The Preposition a

The preposition a commonly follows verbs that mark the start or continuation of an action, describe behaviour or habits, or indicate physical movement toward doing something.

2.1 Verbs of beginning and continuation

When the verb indicates that an action begins or continues, a is almost always used. This applies to verbs such as cominciare, iniziare, mettersi, and continuare.

– Adesso comincio a essere stanca.
– Dopo che sei andata via, ho continuato a lavorare.

2.2 Verbs expressing attitude, behaviour, or habits

A also appears after many common verbs that describe behaviour, attitude, or habits. This includes verbs like stare (in certain expressions), imparare and insegnare when talking about learning, aiutare, and expressions such as essere abituato.

– Elena non sta mai a ascoltare gli altri.
– I bambini non sono abituati a mangiare così tardi.

2.3 Verbs of movement

When a verb expresses physical movement toward an action, a is the standard choice. This happens with verbs like andare, venire, entrare, uscire, tornare, and correre when followed by an infinitive.

– Più tardi viene a prendermi mio marito.
– Dai, corri a telefonare a Giulio!

3. The Preposition di

The preposition di is just as common and appears in very specific contexts. It is often linked to the end of an action, intention, emotions, or mental activities such as thinking, deciding, or remembering.

3.1 Verbs expressing the end of an action

When an action stops or comes to an end, di is used. Typical verbs include smettere, finire, cessare, and terminare.

– Da domani smetto di fumare!
– La nostra azienda ha cessato di esistere da un mese.

3.2 Expressions with avere + noun

Many very common Italian expressions are built with avere + a noun and require di before the infinitive. Some of the most frequent are avere bisogno, avere voglia, avere paura, avere intenzione, and avere ragione.

– Se avete bisogno di riposarvi, dite pure.
– Claudia mi ha detto che non ha nessuna voglia di partire.

3.3 Essere + adjective: emotions and states

Di is also used after essere followed by adjectives expressing emotional or psychological states, such as contento, felice, or stanco.

– Siamo stanchi di subire queste ingiustizie!
– Sono veramente felice di vederlo qui.

3.4 Verbs of thought, speech, and decision

Finally, many high-frequency verbs related to thinking, speaking, and deciding are followed by di. These include decidere, pensare, credere, sperare, dimenticare, ricordare, and consigliare.

– Ho deciso di partire in vacanza quest’estate.
– In agenzia mi hanno consigliato di fare il giro delle isole del sud.

4. The Preposition da

The preposition da is less frequent but very distinctive. It is used before an infinitive to express an action that needs to be done, can be done, or is appropriate to do.

– Oggi non esco perché ho molto da fare.
– Questo è il libro da comprare.

In these cases, da often corresponds in English to structures like “to be done” or “something to + verb”.

5. Summary

A is used with verbs expressing the start or continuation of an action, habitual behaviour, and movement toward doing something.

Di expresses ending an action, intention, emotions, and mental activity.

Da indicates what needs to be done, can be done, or is worth doing.

With regular practice, these patterns become automatic and make your Italian sound far more natural.

6. Want to go further?

If you’d like a concise overview of these rules with additional examples and a clear structure, check out the grammar sheet dedicated to “Verbo + Preposizione + Verbo” in the Sillabi resources.

7. Want to use these structures without thinking?

Understanding grammar is essential, but real fluency comes from guided practice.

The Allegramente! course is designed to help English-speaking learners internalise these structures in real-life situations, both spoken and written—step by step and without translating in their head.

Not sure where to start? Take the placement test: in just a few minutes, you’ll discover the ideal starting point for your Italian learning journey.