In English, you might point someone out by saying "the man with the beard" or "the girl with the blue eyes". In Italian, to describe a person or animal by a distinct physical trait or item of clothing, you use the preposition da combined with a definite article.
Depending on the gender and number of the physical feature you are describing, da merges with the article to form a single word.
Singular features: dal and dalla
When the distinguishing feature is a singular noun, combine da with the singular definite articles il or la to form dal and dalla.
| The teacher with the mole has a tattoo and brown hair. | L'insegnante dal neo ha un tatuaggio e i capelli castani. |
| Who is the man with the gray beard? | Chi è l'uomo dalla barba grigia? |
Plural features: dai, dalle, and dagli
Very often, the traits we use to describe people are plural—like hair (i capelli), ears (le orecchie), or even a mustache (which is plural in Italian: i baffi). For these, combine da with the plural articles i or le to form dai and dalle.
| The lady with the red hair is very nice. | La signora dai capelli rossi è molto simpatica. |
| Look at that cat with the big ears! | Guarda quel gatto dalle orecchie grandi! |
Remember to use dagli (from da + gli) for masculine plural words that start with a vowel, such as eyes (occhi) or glasses (occhiali).
| The student with the blue eyes has a nice smile. | Lo studente dagli occhi azzurri ha un bel sorriso. |
Describing multiple features
If you want to describe someone using more than one characteristic, you must repeat the combined preposition + article before every single trait.
| The man with the mustache and glasses has a tired look. | L'uomo dai baffi e dagli occhiali ha uno sguardo stanco. |
| The woman with the glasses and the mole has a sad look. | La donna dagli occhiali e dal neo ha uno sguardo triste. |
