How to Use the Preposition "Con" in Italian

The Italian preposition con expresses the concept of participation or union. In English, it can typically be translated as: "with,” “together,” or “by" depending on the context.

Here are eight ways to use it.

8 Ways to Use the Preposition “Con”

The preposition con can be used in the following ways (this can also be described as taking complements).

Companionship, Alliance (Compagnia, Unione)

• Vado con lui. - I’m going with him.
• Arrosto con patate - Roast with potatoes
• Vorrei un’​insalata mista con salsa - I’d like a mixed salad with dressing

TIP: The preposition is frequently reinforced with the term insieme: farò il viaggio insieme con un amico (or insieme ad un amico).

Connection, Relationship (Relazione)

• Ho un appuntamento con il medico. - I have an appointment with the doctor.
• Sposarsi con una straniera - To marry a foreigner

Means, method (mezzo)

• Battere con un martello - To pound with a hammer
• Arrivare con l'aereo - To arrive by airplane

Way, Matter, Mode (Modo)

• Sono spiacente di rispondere alla tua email con tanto ritardo. - I’m sorry to respond to your email so late.
• Lavorare con impegno - To work hard / with commitment

Here are some other popular ones:

• Con calma - Patiently
• Con difficoltà - With difficulty
• Con ogni mezzo - By any means
• Con piacere - With pleasure

Attribute (Qualità)

• Una ragazza con i capelli biondi - A girl with blonde hair
• Camera con bagno - Room with ensuite bathroom

Cause, Reason (Causa)

• Con l'inflazione che c'è, il denaro vale sempre meno. - With inflation, money is worth less than ever.
• Con questo caldo è difficile lavorare. - It’s difficult to work with this heat.

Limitation, Restriction (Limitazione)

• Come va con lo studio? - How is the study going?

Time (Tempo)

• Le rondini se ne vanno coi primi freddi. - The swallows leave with the first cold.

In colloquial usage, sometimes the preposition “con” shows opposition, which you often see with the connector words, like "malgrado - in spite of” or “nonostante - despite.”

• Con tutta la buona volontà, non posso proprio acconsentire. - Despite all of the good intentions, I can’t agree.

Sometimes “con” can be omitted, especially in poetic and literary expressions indicating parts of the body or clothes.

• Arrivò alla stazione, la borsa a tracolla e il cappello in mano. - She arrived at the station, handbag on her shoulder and jacket in hand.

TIP: You can create a construction that’s equivalent to a gerund with the preposition “con” and a verb in the infinitive, like “Con tutto il da fare che hai, non so come riesci a ritagliarti anche del tempo per te! - With all the things you have to do, I can’t realise how you manage to carve out some time for you!"

Prepositional Articles With Con

When followed by a definite article, “con” is combined with the article to give the following combined forms known as prepositional articles, or preposizioni articolate in Italian.

Le Preposizioni Articolate

NOTE: Using “con” with the preposition isn’t as widely used. The one form you’re most likely to hear it in is “col.”