Learn Italian: Faccio un viaggio in Spagna, non in Francia. - I am taking a trip to Spain, not to France.

Faccio un viaggio in Spagna, non in Francia.

I am taking a trip to Spain, not to France.

Breakdown of Faccio un viaggio in Spagna, non in Francia.

a / an (masculine)

non

not

in / made of (material)

il viaggio

the trip

Questions & Answers about Faccio un viaggio in Spagna, non in Francia.

Why do we use in for "to Spain" and "to France" instead of a?

In Italian, the rule is to use in when going to or being in a country, state, or region. Because Spain (Spagna) and France (Francia) are countries, we must use in. We use a for cities (like a Roma for "to Rome").

Wait, doesn't in mean "in"? Why does the translation say "to"?

Italian often uses the exact same preposition for location (being somewhere) and destination (going somewhere). Because a trip involves travel, in Spagna and in Francia translate to "to Spain" and "to France" here. If the sentence was Vivo in Spagna, it would mean "I live in Spain."

Why is the verb faccio used here if the translation says "I am taking"?

Faccio comes from the verb fare, which means "to do" or "to make". While in English we say we "take" a trip, Italians "make" a trip (fare un viaggio). You cannot translate "take" literally here!

I've seen Spain written as la Spagna. Why is there no la (the) in this sentence?