Learn Italian: Marco torna in Italia tra gennaio e marzo. - Marco returns to Italy between January and March.

Marco torna in Italia tra gennaio e marzo.

Marco returns to Italy between January and March.

Breakdown of Marco torna in Italia tra gennaio e marzo.

and

in / made of (material)

Marco

tornare

to return

Questions & Answers about Marco torna in Italia tra gennaio e marzo.

Why are gennaio and marzo not capitalized?

In Italian, the months of the year are not capitalized unless they are at the very beginning of a sentence. So you write gennaio and marzo, unlike in English.

Why is it in Italia instead of a Italia?

When talking about going to or being in a country like Italia, you always use the preposition in. The preposition a is used for going to cities, like a Roma.

What does tra mean here, and can I use fra instead?

The word tra means between. In this sentence, it shows Marco will return at some point between January and March. You could also use fra here, making it fra gennaio e marzo. Both words mean exactly the same thing and are interchangeable.

The sentence uses the present tense verb torna, but it is about a future trip. Is this normal?

Yes! Italians often use the present tense to talk about planned future events, especially when a time frame like tra gennaio e marzo already makes it clear the action is happening later.