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### Merging "a" with articles

When the preposition **a** (to/at) is followed by a definite article, they merge to form a single word. These *articulated prepositions* are used constantly when talking about going to or being at specific places.

### Masculine places: al and ai

For masculine nouns using the article **il**, **a** merges to create **al**. With the plural article **i**, they form **ai**.

| Preposition | Article | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| a | il | al |
| a | i | ai |

{{item:804439}}

{{item:804443}}

### Feminine places: alla and alle

For feminine nouns, **a** combines with the singular article **la** to make **alla**, and with the plural article **le** to make **alle**.

| Preposition | Article | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| a | la | alla |
| a | le | alle |

{{item:804447}}

{{item:804452}}

### Vowels and special masculine nouns: all' and agli

If a singular noun begins with a vowel, its article is **l'**, which merges with **a** to become **all'**. 

For masculine plural nouns using the article **gli** (starting with a vowel or certain consonants like *st*), the combination is **agli**.

| Preposition | Article | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| a | l' | all' |
| a | gli | agli |

{{item:804457}}

{{item:804461}}

### Putting it together

You can mix and match these articulated prepositions to contrast different locations in a single sentence.

{{item:804465}}

Articulated prepositions with a (al, alla)

adjective

adjective/adverb

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

proper noun

sentence

verb

Subject pronouns and the verb to be (io sono)

Singular definite articles (il, la)

Singular demonstratives (questo, questa)

Basic verbal negation (non)

Yes/No questions

Coordinating conjunctions (e, ma, o)

Regular plurals and definite articles (-i, -e, i, le)

Plural verb to be (noi siamo, voi siete)

Plural demonstratives (questi, queste)

Nouns ending in -e

Special singular articles (lo, l')

The plural article (gli)

Special indefinite articles (uno, un')

Demonstrative adjectives (quello, quella)

Adjective endings (-o, -a, -i, -e)

Expressing quantity (molto, poco, tanto)

The verb to have (ho, hai, ha...)

There is / there are (c'è, ci sono)

The preposition of (di)

Singular possessives (il mio, la mia)

Numbers 1 to 10 (uno, due, tre...)

Numbers 11 to 20 (undici, dodici...)

Numbers 21 to 100 (trenta, quaranta...)

Idiomatic avere (avere fame, avere anni)

Plural possessive adjectives (i miei, le mie)

Possessives with family members (mio padre)

Formal address (dare del Lei)

Present tense of -are verbs (-o, -i, -a)

Question words (chi, cosa, dove)

Present tense of -ere verbs (-o, -i, -e)

Question words (quando, come, perché)

Question word agreement (quanto, quanta, quanti, quante)

Regular -ire verbs

Verbs with -isc- (capisco, capisci, capisce)

Pronouns after prepositions (me, te, lui)

The verb fare (faccio, fai, fa)

The verb andare (vado, vai, va)

The verb stare (sto, stai, sta)

The verb venire (vengo, vieni, viene)

The verb uscire (esco, esci, esce)

Location and destination (a, in)

Origin and movement (da)

Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)

Articulated prepositions with di and da (del, dal)

Simple prepositions (con, per, su, tra)

Articulated prepositions with su (sul, sulla)

Months of the year

Telling time (sono le...)

Dates (il + number)

Ordinal numbers 1st to 10th (primo, secondo, terzo...)

The verb to want (volere)

The verb can (potere)

The verb must (dovere)

The verb to know (sapere)

Reflexive verbs (mi lavo, ti lavi)

Indirect object pronouns (gli, le, ci...)

Expressing preferences (mi piace)

Plural preferences (mi piacciono)

Comparatives (più... di, meno... di)

The passato prossimo with avere (ho parlato)

Irregular past participles (fatto, letto, preso)

The passato prossimo with essere (sono andato)

Reflexive verbs in the past (mi sono svegliato)

Time adverbs with the past tense (già, mai, ancora)

Third-person direct object pronouns (lo, la, li, le)

First and second-person direct object pronouns (mi, ti, ci, vi)

The four seasons

Prepositions of place (vicino a, davanti a)

Conversational words (beh, allora, davvero)

Indefinite adjectives for some (qualche, alcuni)

Indefinite adjectives for every and all (ogni, tutti)

Indefinite pronouns (qualcosa, qualcuno)

Noun suffixes (-ino, -one)

Adverbs of manner (-mente)

Comparisons of equality (così... come)

The relative superlative (il più)

The absolute superlative (-issimo)

Irregular comparatives (migliore, peggiore)

Present progressive (stare + -ando, -endo)

Imminent actions (stare per)

The locative pronoun (ci)

The partitive pronoun (ne)

Pronoun placement with modal verbs

Impersonal subjects (si)

Prepositions of time (da, per, tra, fra)

Past participle agreement with pronouns

Past tense of modal verbs

Question	Answer
market	il mercato
I am going to the market to buy apples.	Vado al mercato per comprare le mele.
The boys go to the supermarket.	I ragazzi vanno al supermercato.
Today I go to the park with the dog.	Oggi vado al parco con il cane.
garden	il giardino
We go to the gardens with the children.	Andiamo ai giardini con i bambini.
traffic light	il semaforo
I wait too long at the traffic light.	Aspetto troppo tempo al semaforo.
We are stopped at the red traffic lights.	Siamo fermi ai semafori rossi.
When do you go to the station?	Quando vai alla stazione?
That lady works at the post office.	Quella signora lavora alla posta.
The man goes to the party.	L'uomo va alla festa.
Marco goes to the match with Luca.	Marco va alla partita con Luca.
We are going to the meeting tonight.	Andiamo alla riunione stasera.
They go to the meetings early.	Vanno alle riunioni presto.
checkout	la cassa
I work at the checkout.	Lavoro alla cassa.
The women work at the fast checkouts.	Le donne lavorano alle casse veloci.
abroad	l'estero
I go abroad for work.	Vado all'estero per lavoro.
That man often goes abroad.	Quell'uomo va spesso all'estero.
appointment	l'appuntamento
You arrive late to the appointment.	Arrivi in ritardo all'appuntamento.
They go to the new stadiums.	Vanno agli stadi nuovi.
entrance	l'ingresso
Are you at the entrance?	Siete all'ingresso?
beach	la spiaggia
Today do we go to the beach or to the market?	Oggi andiamo alla spiaggia o al mercato?
bank	la banca
The entrance to the bank is open.	L'ingresso alla banca è aperto.
pharmacy	la farmacia
The appointment is at the pharmacy.	L'appuntamento è alla farmacia.
Are we waiting at the garden or at the bank?	Noi aspettiamo al giardino o alla banca?
Maria goes to the pharmacy and to the beach.	Maria va alla farmacia e alla spiaggia.

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