Learn Italian: Chi è l'uomo dalla barba grigia? - Who is the man with the gray beard?

In English we say 'the man with the beard', so you might be tempted to use con la (with the). However, Italian frequently uses the preposition da combined with a definite article to describe distinctive physical traits or clothing. It translates closely to 'the man characterized by the gray beard'.

How is dalla formed in this sentence?

Dalla is an articulated preposition. It is made by combining the preposition da (used here for physical description) with la (the feminine singular definite article for barba). Da + la always becomes dalla.

Wait, shouldn't the adjective match the man? Why is it grigia instead of grigio?

The adjective grigia (gray) is describing the beard (la barba), not the man (l'uomo). Since barba is a feminine singular noun, the adjective takes the feminine singular ending -a. If you said grigio, you would be implying that the man himself is gray!

Could I just say da barba grigia without the article la?