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Ho parlato con la ragazza dai capelli ricci.

Ho parlato con la ragazza dai capelli ricci.
I spoke with the girl with the curly hair.
From Lesson 257:Describing physical features (dal, dagli)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Ho parlato con la ragazza dai capelli ricci.

Why do we use dai here instead of con i for "with the"?
In Italian, when describing someone by a physical characteristic or distinctive feature, we use the preposition da combined with the definite article, rather than con. Since capelli is masculine plural, da merges with the article i to become dai.
In English we say "curly hair" (singular), so why is it capelli (plural) in Italian?
In English, "hair" on your head is usually an uncountable singular noun. In Italian, it is treated as countable and plural: i capelli literally means "the hairs". If you used the singular il capello riccio, it would mean you only saw one single curly strand of hair!
How does the adjective ricci form its plural here?
Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. Capelli is masculine plural, so the masculine singular adjective riccio (curly) changes to ricci. Notice that words ending in an unstressed -io like riccio drop the -o to form the plural, rather than adding a second i.
Could I say Ho parlato alla ragazza instead of con la ragazza?
Yes, but the meaning shifts slightly. Parlare con means "to speak with", implying a two-way conversation. Parlare a means "to speak to", which can sometimes imply talking at someone in a one-way manner. For a normal chat, con is the most natural choice.

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