In this lesson, we're going to try to clear up something that can be confusing: two combinations of a preposition and article that look alike but have different meanings and functions. You can get by just fine not knowing the names of these grammatical elements, but knowing how they work and when to use them can help you figure out what's going on in an Italian conversation.

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1) Preposizione articolata (articulated preposition)

You might already know that in Italian, instead of saying di il paese (of the town), you say del paese (of the town). In other words, the preposition di (of) gets combined, in a special way, with the definite article il (the). It turns into del (of the). This is called una preposizione articolata (an articled preposition).

As with English, what follows a preposition is usually an indirect object. See our lesson about la preposizione articolata or search the topic preposizioni articolate in the lessons tab. 

Here, the important word in the combination is the preposition. The article just goes with the noun.

Sa, la banda del paese si riunisce qui per provare.

You know, the band of the town gets together here to rehearse.

Caption 22, Il Commissario Manara S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 2

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If the indirect object is feminine, then the preposizione articolata changes according to gender and number, just like a definite article would:

Sì, si chiamava Lorenzo Poggiali, trent'anni, primo clarinetto della banda,

Yes, his name was Lorenzo Poggiali, thirty years old, first clarinet of the band.

Caption 20, Il Commissario Manara S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu - Part 2

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If you have been following Yabla videos, or have watched Italian movies and TV shows, you have witnessed this phenomenon hundreds of times. And It works with other prepositions, too, such as in (to, at, in), a (to, in, at), da (from, since, at), and su (on, above).  

2) Articolo partitivo

There is another way we combine a preposition with an article, but here, the meaning is different, as well as the purpose. Perhaps the easiest way to think of this is that it often means "some." In short, it's a way to talk about an imprecise quantity of something.

What's different from the preposizione articolata?

a) For one thing, with the articolo partitivo, the only preposition that is used is di (of). It's combined with a definite article (in all its forms):

del, dell', dello, dei, della, delle, degli.

b) What follows the articolo partitivo is not an indirect object but a direct object. Hai dei soldi per fare la spesa (do you have some money for the grocery shopping)? 

c) If you just use a plain definite article, the sentence still functions grammatically.

d) You can replace the articolo partitivo with un po' di  (a little, a bit of), or alcuni/alcune (some, several).

Here's an example where Adriano uses un po' di. 

Aggiungiamo un po' di parmigiano grattugiato.

We'll add a bit of grated Parmesan.

Caption 46, Adriano Spaghetti pomodoro e aglio

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But he could have used del.  

Aggiungiamo del parmigiano grattugiato.

Here, Adriano does use del, but he could have said un po' di sale. 

Quando l'acqua bollirà, potrò aggiungere del sale.

When the water boils, I can add some salt.

Caption 34, Adriano Spaghetti pomodoro e aglio

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Taglio del pane e poi, e poi forse un bicchiere di vino prima?

I'll cut some bread and then, maybe a glass of wine beforehand?

Caption 6, Escursione Un picnic in campagna - Part 3

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Here's an example in the plural where Andromeda is talking about her dog. 

Mi hanno portato una casetta, mi hanno portato delle coperte...

They brought me a little house, they brought me some blankets...

Caption 36, Andromeda La storia di Ulisse

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So to test the meaning, we can use alcune or alcuni. They both mean "some" but can also mean "a few" or "several." So Andromeda could have said:

Mi hanno portato una casetta, mi hanno portato alcune coperte...

We hope this sheds some light on this sometimes confusing aspect of the Italian language. 

Keep in mind that sometimes, in English, we don't bother to say "some" if it isn't necessary, but as with articles, Italians tend to use a partitive article more often than we would think. To boost your Italian skills, try paying special attention to partitive articles this week as you watch Yabla videos. Feel free to bring them to the attention of fellow learners in a comment to the video. 

Workplace Vocabulary - Part 2

We hear about i compiti (accent on the first syllable) in videos about school and family.The singular il compito (the assignment, the task) can refer to classwork, or a written test: il compito in classe: I compiti is the plural of il compito and generally refers to homework when in the plural: i compiti a casa (homework, assignments). 

Alla scuola di polizia lui non aveva molta voglia di studiare

At the police academy he didn't have much desire to study

e io facevo i suoi compiti e i miei.

and I did his homework and mine.

Captions 48-49, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto

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Un compito can also refer to an assigned task that has nothing to do with school. Sometimes it’s just a job to do.

Mi crede così ingenuo da affidare a Lei un compito così delicato?

Do you think I'm so naive that I would entrust such a delicate task to you?

Caption 47, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP4 - Le Lettere Di Leopardi

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“A job” in English is often translated as un lavoro:

Non aveva un lavoro fisso lui, no.

He didn't have a steady job, no.

Caption 54, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu

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But if you can replace “job” with “task,” then compito can work in Italian.

In the example abaove, it’s not possible. A job is a job — an occupation. Someone has a job, or does a job, and (hopefully) gets paid for it, or somebody goes to work.

In English we often use “job” to mean “task,” or “responsibility.” So, if I say, “It was my job to look at the proofs.” then I use compito:
Era il mio compito guardare le bozze.

A task is something you do whether you are paid or not, and it can be momentary or recurring. This can either be translated as un compito (a job to do), or un lavoro (a job) that needs doing.

Compito, used as a noun, actually comes from the past participle of the verb compire (to carry out, to finish), so it makes a certain amount of sense. Two other verbs, compiere and competere sound similar and are also relevant. We'll look at these in an upcoming lesson.

In Europe, there is a tradition of final exams being oral rather than written, or in addition to written ones, and this carries over into the schoolroom as well. Oral quizzes are the norm, but they’re not always surprise quizzes, they’re often announced so that the students can prepare (or plan to be absent). They don’t always know whom the teacher will call on.

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The Italian verb for this oral quiz is interrogare, which sounds a bit like a police station or torture room, but is just a normal everyday classroom happening. In the following example, it's a girl student who is asking the question.

Professoressa, potrei essere interrogata domani?

Teacher, could I be quizzed tomorrow?

Caption 41, Provaci Ancora Prof! - S1E1 - Il regalo di Babbo Natale

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In the new film on Yabla, La Tempesta, a conversation takes place down on the street. Paolo has had his car towed and doesn’t quite know how to get to work. His neighbor comments:

Nel senso, magari è la volta buona

I mean, maybe this will be the time

che ti fai una bicicletta pure tu.

that even you get yourself a bike.

Captions 4-5, La Tempesta - film

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Nel senso literally means “in the sense,” but Italians use it these days much as we use “I mean” in English. Lots of times they don’t even finish the sentence. Nel senso just stands alone, and you have to guess the rest. Nel senso can be likened to cioè (that is, meaning...), but technically, nel senso in this context should be followed by che (that) as in the following example.

Conoscendolo in che senso...?

Knowing him in what way...?

Nel senso che in paese le voci girano.

In the way that in town word gets around.

Captions 48-49, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu

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Without che (or any other conjunction) following it, it's decidedly less grammatically correct.

Il senso is a noun that covers a lot of bases, but here, it is equivalent to "the way," "the manner."

Incontro is a noun that means, not surprisingly, "encounter," "meeting," "get-together," or "rendezvous." In English, we tend to save the noun "encounter" for special or particular meetings. In Italian, it gets used more often.

Conoscendolo, penso che sia più probabile

Knowing him, I think it's more likely

che si sia fermato qui per un incontro amoroso.

that he stayed here for a hot date.

Captions 46-47, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP3 - Rapsodia in Blu

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The verb form incontrare means "to meet," "to encounter." It often means to bump into someone by chance.

Anna! Ti, ti ricordi quei due signori che abbiamo incontrato prima?

Anna! Do you remember those two gentlemen we met earlier?

Captions 1-2, Anna e Marika - Hostaria Antica Roma

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Keep in mind that the first person singular of the verb incontrare is the same as the noun form, incontro.

Quando vado al mare, incontro tanti stranieri.
When I go to the beach,  I meet up with lots of foreigners.

There is a third form which looks exactly like the noun incontro, but is a preposition, and is used together with a second preposition, a (to, at): incontro a (towards).

It’s used in the very common phrase:

Ti vengo incontro.
I’ll come towards you.
I’ll meet you halfway.

This expression also is used when negotiating:

Mi è venuto incontro sul prezzo
He met me halfway on the price.

We say "halfway" but it may be more or less than half, so we could also say "part way." It can mean making a concession, giving a discount, or lowering a price.

Remembering that contro means "against" will help you understand the following example. It’s another figurative use of incontro, and the verb andare (to go) is used: andare incontro (to face, to encounter, to be up against).

Era medico anche lui.

He was a doctor, too.

Si figuri se non sapeva a che cosa sarebbe andato incontro.

Can't imagine he didn't know what he was up against.

Captions 55-56, Il Commissario Manara - S1EP1 - Un delitto perfetto

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Grammatically speaking:
To use incontro a as a preposition, we need a subject, a verb—usually venire (to come) or andare (to go), and an indirect object. If the object is a person or a noun, we use incontro a:

Vado incontro a Maria.
I’m going to walk towards Maria. / I’ll meet up with Maria halfway.

Va incontro alla morte.
He’ll be facing death. / He’s going towards his death.

If we use incontro a with an indirect object pronoun, the preposition a is already included in the object pronoun if the the pronoun is at the beginning of the phrase. If it’s at the end, it needs a preposition:

Ti vengo incontro.
Vengo incontro a te.
I’ll meet you halfway.

Ci vengono incontro.
Vengono incontro a noi.
They’ll meet us halfway.

Le vado incontro.
Vado incontro a lei.
I’ll meet her halfway.

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For more examples of the expression andare incontro a see this lesson. 

Just for fun:

Ogni giorno vado incontro a delle situazioni diverse. Ieri ho incontrato un vecchio amico, e volevamo programmare un altro incontro. Non potevo immaginare a che cosa si andava incontro, perché per trovare una data, abbiamo incontrato degli ostacoli non indifferenti. In realtà nessuno dei due aveva tempo per andare a casa dell’altro. Infine, ci siamo venuti incontro. Ci vedremo in città, vicino a dove lavora lui, e mi verrà incontro a piedi per farmi strada.

Every day I’m up against different situations. Yesterday I ran into an old friend, and we wanted to schedule another get-together. I couldn’t have imagined what we were up against, because in trying to find a date for it, we ran into significant stumbling blocks. The fact of the matter is that neither of us had time to go to the other’s house, so we met each other halfway on it. We’ll meet in the city, near his office, and he’ll come and meet me part way on foot to show me the way.