Let's have a look at the preposition su. Its most common meaning in English is "on." As Marika has been explaining in video lessons such as this one, the simple preposition su can be combined with a definite article — in Italian, there are several forms, based on gender and quantity — to become a preposizione articolata (a preposition combined with a definite article — ("the" in English).

So to say, "on the table," instead of saying su il tavolo, we say sul tavolo. The preposition and definite article combine into one word.

Aspettate, lascio il libro sul tavolo

Wait, I'll leave the book on the table

Caption 3, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il futuro

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This process is similar for all the different forms of definite articles in Italian.

sul = su + il

sull' = su + l'

...nubi invece sull'Umbria e sulle zone interne della Toscana.

...clouds, instead, in Umbria and in the inland areas of Tuscany.

Caption 63, Anna e Marika - in TG Yabla Italia e Meteo - Part 2

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sulla =  su + la

Allora, siamo qui con la nostra? -Chiara.

So, we're here with our... -Chiara.

Che ci risponderà a un po' di domande sulla mozzarella di bufala.

Who will answer a few of our questions about buffalo mozzarella.

Captions 1-2, Anna e Marika - La mozzarella di bufala - La produzione e i tagli - Part 2

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sullo = su + lo

Sullo sfondo potete vedere il Vesuvio

In the background, you can see Vesuvius

Caption 4, Escursioni Campane - Castello Normanno - Part 1

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sui = su + i

Allora, questa lista la scriviamo tutti insieme,

So, this list we'll all write together,

io alla lavagna e voi sui quaderni.

I on the blackboard and you in your notebooks.

Captions 10-11, Corso di italiano con Daniela - Il condizionale - Part 5

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sugli = su + gli

Multiple meanings of su

Just as in English, prepositions often have multiple meanings and su is no exception.

Su can mean "on," but also "in," sometimes:

L'ho letto sul giornale.

I read about it in the newspaper.

Caption 22, Adriano Olivetti - La forza di un sogno Ep.2 - Part 10

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Su often means "about."

E vi racconto qualche storia semplice sul gelato, ma molto interessante.

And I'll tell you a few simple stories about ice cream, but very interesting.

Caption 10, Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato - Part 1

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Note that sometimes definite articles are used in Italian but not in English, as in the example above.

Su can mean "out of," as in the following example:

Nove volte su dieci lo fa perché ha qualcosa da nascondere.

Nine times out of ten, he does it because he has something to hide.

Caption 25, Provaci Ancora Prof! - S1E2 - Un amore pericoloso - Part 19

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An expression with su

A good expression to know is sul serio (seriously)?

Sul serio?

Seriously?

Caption 4, Marika spiega - La formazione degli aggettivi

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It can also be interpreted as "for real."

Però voglio dirti una cosa, questa è importante sul serio.

But I want to tell you something. This is important for real.

Caption 45, Francesca - Cavalli - Part 1

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Being approximate

Another way we use the preposition su is to give an approximate time, weight, or age.

Arriverò sul presto (I'll get there on the early side).

Aveva sui cinquant'anni (he was around fifty years old).

Note that in this lesson, we talked about the preposition su, but su is also an adverb meaning up, upwards. We'll talk about that in a future lesson.

Maybe you have seen or heard other uses of su we didn't mention here. Let us know!

There are a lot of things to do in the summer, but Italians talk about them a bit differently than English speakers do. The word we will hear all the time in Italy, at least if we're within a two hour drive from the coast, is il mare.

Il mare — the beach

As you can see from the following example, we talk about the beach, because for the most part, we have sandy beaches. But Italy, being a peninsula (penisola in Italian) is surrounded on three coasts by the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, so it's a vital part of the country itself. The sea has different names depending on what part of Italy it touches on.

Infatti, io e Giorgia siamo andate insieme al mare.

In fact, Giorgia and I went to the beach together.

Caption 21, Francesca e Marika - Il verbo andare coniugazione

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BANNER PLACEHOLDER

For more vocabulary about the beach, check out these videos: 

This one is about a beach very close to Pisa, something to keep in mind if you visit Pisa in the summer.

In giro per l'Italia - Pisa e dintorni - Part 3

Finalmente siamo arrivati al mare. [Marina di Pisa]

We've finally arrived at the seaside. [Marina di Pisa]

Caption 1, In giro per l'Italia - Pisa e dintorni

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Here's a wonderful series about the Aeolian Islands off the coast of Sicily. They are breathtakingly beautiful and well worth a visit. If you can't visit, watch the videos!

https://italian.yabla.com/videos.php?program_id=1680

La località isolata e selvaggia di grande bellezza naturale,

The wild and isolated village, with its great natural beauty,

si può raggiungere solo via mare.

is only reachable by sea.

Caption 11, Linea Blu - Le Eolie

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But let's say you like to swim, but in a pool rather than in the sea. 

Fare nuoto — to swim 

When you go to a pool regularly, to swim laps, then you can say faccio nuoto (I'm a swimmer, I swim): In the following example, Annamaria Mazzetti trains for Olympic triathlons.

Facciamo nuoto, bici, corsa tutti i giorni.

We swim, cycle, and run every day.

Caption 14, Le Olimpiadi 2012 - Annamaria Mazzetti

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But let's say you want to go kayaking (andare in canoa), the instructor will ask you:

Sai nuotare?

Do you know how to swim?

Caption 68, Il Commissario Manara - S2EP5 - Mondo sommerso

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If not, they will give you a life jacket or life preserver (un salvagente).

Fare il bagno — to go swimming (or splashing in the waves)

But let's say you're at the beach and you just want to go in the water and play in the waves. It sounds strange to us, because many of us have learned that bagno means bathroom...

Noi amici, trascorriamo il tempo giocando,

We friends pass the time playing,

oppure nelle giornate estive facciamo il bagno

or else, on summer days we go swimming

e... invece, in quelle invernali veniamo qui per chiacchierare.

and... and on winter ones we come here to talk.

Captions 16-18, Amiche - sulla spiaggia

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So if someone asks you: "Facciamo il bagno?" you will know they want you to go in the water at the beach or at the pool (in piscina).

Il Caldo  – the Heat

Finally, one thing Italians say all the time during the summer is:

Ah, che caldo!

Oh, it's so hot!

Caption 1, Andromeda - in - Storia del gelato

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Caldo is an adjective meaning "hot", but also a noun meaning "heat": il caldo.

Enjoy your summer, or looking forward to summer, depending on where you are.