ILGUR: Italian Language, Grammar and Usage Resource

Here are some rules and guidelines regarding prepositions of time:

1. Precise moments of an action or event

   –Use the preposition, in, followed by the year to indicate the exact moment of a fact or event: take note that in becomes nel as it combines with the definite article:

   Sono nato nel 1971.
   I was born in 1971.

   Napoleon è morto nel 1821.
   Napoleon died in 1821.

   –Use the preposition, per, to indicate a precise moment or time which has yet to occur:

   Dobbiamo essere a scuola per le 8 di mattina.
   We have to be at school for 8am.
   
   –Use the preposition, a, before names of important days:

   A Natale andrò in Europa.
   At Christmas I will go to Europe.

   A Pasqua visitiamo i miei nonni.
   At Easter we visit my grandparents.

   –Use the preposition, di, in front of days of the week and with the words, giorno, notte, mattina, pomeriggio, and sera:

   Vado in palestra di sera.
   I go to the gym in the evening.

   Lei guarda le notizie del pomeriggio.
   She watches the news in the afternoon.

2. Beginning and end

   –Use the prepositions, da and a, to indicate a start and an end of a specific duration. In English, one would say from…to…:

   Il meeting dura dalle 3 alle 3.30.
   The meeting lasts from 3 to 3:30.

   –Use the preposition, tra/fra and the conjunction, e (and), to indicate an action that takes place for a specific duration:

   Lei va a Roma tra il 31 dicembre e il 5 gennaio.
   She is going to Rome between the 31st of December and the 5th of January.
   
   –Also use tra/fra and the conjunction, e (and), for actions that occur within any part of a specific time frame:

   Il treno parte tra le 5.30 e le 6, dipende dal tempo.
   The train depart between 5:30 and 6:00, depending upon the weather.

3. How much time?

   –Use the preposition, da, to indicate a period of time that started in the past and continues in the present:

   Lei studia italiano da 2 mesi.
   She has been studying Italian for 2 months. (i.e. She started studying Italian 2 months ago and still is studying it.)

   –Use the preposition, in, to indicate a period of time in which an action will complete/occur:

   Il treno arriva in 4 minuti.
   The train arrives in four minutes.
   
   La nostra classe finisce in un’ora.
   Our class ends in an hour.

   –Use the preposition, per, to indicate an amount of time needed before an action resolves:

   Dobbiamo correre per 8 ore prima di arrivare alla linea del traguardo.
   We have to run for 8 hours before arriving at the finish line.
   
   Ho studiato per 8 ore ieri sera.
   I studied for 8 hours last night.

4. Age

   –Use the preposition, di or a, to indicate someone’s age:

   Gianna è una ragazza di 10 anni.
   Gianna is a ten year old girl.

   Sono andato a scuola a 5 anni.
   I went to school at five years old.

5. As a child…

   –Use the preposition, da, to indicate someone’s age relative to a particular state; typically this construction is followed by a noun (da bambino/a, da ragazzo/a, da studente/studentessa, da giovane, da vecchio, da adulto/a, ecc.):

   Da bambino ho imparato di andare in bicicletta.
   As a child I learned to ride a bike.

   Da studente lei ha studiato francese.
   As a student she studied French.

6. Telling time

   –Use the preposition, a, to indicate the exact hour:

   Domani devo andare all’università alle 8 per incontrare il mio professore.
   Tomorrow I have to go to university at 8 in order to meet my professor.

   –Use the preposition, tra or fra, to indicate after how much time an action happens:

   Vado a letto tra due ore.
   In two hours I am going to bed.

7. Difference between in and per

   There is a small distinction between the prepositions, in and per, in their use as prepositions of time. Consider these two phrases:

   Ho fatto i compiti in due ore.
   I did the homework in two hours.
   
   Ho fatto i compiti per due ore.
   I did the homework for due hours.

   The preposition, in, tell us how long it took for the homework to be finished – the amount of time it took for the action to be completed.

   The preposition, per, tells us how much time was spent doing the homework – the length or duration of the action.