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### Articulated prepositions with "su"

Just like *a*, *di*, *da*, and *in*, the preposition **su** (on / on top of) fuses with definite articles to form single words called articulated prepositions. 

Here is how **su** combines with the definite articles:

| Article | su + Article | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **il** | sul | sul balcone |
| **lo** | sullo | sullo schermo |
| **la** | sulla | sulla scrivania |
| **l'** | sull' | sull'erba |
| **i** | sui | sui fogli |
| **gli** | sugli | sugli alberi |
| **le** | sulle | sulle mensole |

### Using singular forms

Use **sul**, **sullo**, **sulla**, or **sull'** when talking about an object placed on a single surface, depending on the gender and starting letter of the noun.

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### Using plural forms

When the objects or surfaces are plural, use **sui**, **sugli**, or **sulle**.

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### Placing and leaving things

You will frequently use articulated prepositions with **su** to describe placing or leaving everyday items on furniture or other surfaces. The verb **lasciare** is commonly used in these situations to mean "to leave" (an object behind).

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Articulated prepositions with su (sul, sulla)

adjective

adjective/adverb

adverb

conjunction

determiner

interjection

noun

numeral

preposition

pronoun

proper noun

sentence

verb

Definite articles and gender (il, la, l')

Indefinite articles (un, una)

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 a (al, alla)

Articulated prepositions with in (nel, nella)

Articulated prepositions with di and da (del, dal)

Simple prepositions (con, per, su, tra)

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
on the; about the (su + il)	sul
the balcony	il balcone
The cat sleeps on the balcony.	Il gatto dorme sul balcone.
Where are the chairs? They are on the balcony.	Dove sono le sedie? Sono sul balcone.
the desk	la scrivania
I put the keys on the desk.	Metto le chiavi sulla scrivania.
There is a mistake on the screen.	C'è uno sbaglio sullo schermo.
the grass (f)	l'erba
We eat on the grass.	Mangiamo sull'erba.
the bench	la panchina
The bench is on the grass.	La panchina è sull'erba.
Your books are on the bench.	I tuoi libri sono sulla panchina.
the shelf	la mensola
There are many books on the shelves.	Ci sono molti libri sulle mensole.
to leave (an object)	lasciare
Why do you leave the plate on the shelf?	Perché lasci il piatto sulla mensola?
the sheet of paper	il foglio
They write on the sheets of paper.	Loro scrivono sui fogli.
I write a word on the sheet of paper.	Scrivo una parola sul foglio.
The birds are in the trees.	Gli uccelli sono sugli alberi.
What is on the mirror?	Che cosa c'è sullo specchio?
the armchair	la poltrona
I read a book on the armchair.	Leggo un libro sulla poltrona.
Your coat is on the armchair.	Il tuo cappotto è sulla poltrona.
I leave the phone on the bed.	Lascio il telefono sul letto.
The dogs sleep on the carpets.	I cani dormono sui tappeti.
the stairs, ladder	la scala
You wait on the stairs.	Voi aspettate sulle scale.
I leave the tickets on the backpacks.	Lascio i biglietti sugli zaini.
the pillow, cushion	il cuscino
The dog sleeps on the cushion.	Il cane dorme sul cuscino.
I put the cushion on the desk.	Metto il cuscino sulla scrivania.
The box is on the ladder.	La scatola è sulla scala.
The cat is on the sofa.	Il gatto è sul divano.
The book is on the table.	Il libro è sul tavolo.

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