Learn Italian: Il gatto è dentro la casa. - The cat is inside the house.

Il gatto è dentro la casa.

The cat is inside the house.

Breakdown of Il gatto è dentro la casa.

Questions & Answers about Il gatto è dentro la casa.

Why isn't there an extra little word after dentro, like we do with vicino a?

Unlike words such as vicino (which needs a) or lontano (which needs da), the word dentro can link directly to the noun and its article. You simply say dentro la casa (inside the house).

Can I use in instead of dentro here?

You could say Il gatto è in casa, but they give slightly different feelings. Dentro strongly emphasizes the physical position of being enclosed or specifically inside the structure. In casa is more like saying the cat is indoors or at home.

Will dentro ever change its ending to match the noun?

No. Because dentro is a preposition of place here, its ending never changes. It stays exactly the same whether it describes one masculine cat or ten feminine cars.

I sometimes hear Italians say dentro alla casa. Is that wrong?

It is not strictly wrong and is very common in everyday spoken Italian. However, dentro followed directly by the article (as in dentro la casa) is the most standard and widely accepted form, especially in writing.