Tra le due foto, preferisco la seconda.

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Breakdown of Tra le due foto, preferisco la seconda.

• preferire: to prefer
• la foto: the photo
• due: two

Questions & Answers about Tra le due foto, preferisco la seconda.

Why does the sentence start with tra?

Tra means between or among. In this sentence, tra le due foto means between the two photos / out of the two photos.

With exactly two things, English usually prefers between, and Italian commonly uses tra (or fra) in the same kind of situation.

So:

• tra le due foto = between the two photos
• tra amici = among friends

In this sentence, tra introduces the set you are choosing from.

Can I use fra instead of tra?

Yes. Tra and fra usually mean the same thing, and here they are interchangeable:

• Tra le due foto, preferisco la seconda.
• Fra le due foto, preferisco la seconda.

Both are correct.

Sometimes speakers choose one over the other just because it sounds better next to the surrounding words, but there is no meaning difference here.

Why is it le due foto and not just due foto?