🇮🇹 Italian Course — Lesson 13: Prepositions & Complex Sentences

01🎯

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson you will be able to:

✅Use per, prima di, and dopo correctly before infinitives

✅Use stressed pronouns (me, te, lui, lei…) after prepositions

✅Connect ideas using perché, siccome, mentre, anche se, però, quindi

✅Build a first simple relative clause with che

✅Speak in longer, more connected sentences instead of short choppy ones

⏱️ Study time: ~2 hours. This lesson isn't about new tenses — it's about the connective tissue that turns a list of short sentences into natural-sounding Italian.

02🔧

Prepositions Before Infinitives

Several common prepositions combine directly with an infinitive verb to express purpose, sequence, or need — patterns you'll use constantly.

Per + Infinitive — Purpose ("in order to")

Italian	English
Studio per imparare l'italiano.	I study (in order) to learn Italian.
Ho chiamato per chiedere informazioni.	I called to ask for information.

Prima di / Dopo + Infinitive — Sequence

Italian	English
Prima di uscire, chiudo la porta.	Before going out, I close the door.
Dopo aver mangiato, usciamo.	After eating, we go out.

💡 Dopo needs the auxiliary + past participle when followed by a verb: dopo aver mangiato (after having eaten), dopo essere arrivato (after having arrived) — not just the plain infinitive.

Da + Infinitive — Need / Purpose of a Thing

Italian	English
Ho molto da fare oggi.	I have a lot to do today.
C'è qualcosa da mangiare?	Is there something to eat?
Una macchina da scrivere.	A typewriter. (a machine for writing)

⚠️ Don't confuse this with di + infinitive, used after many verbs of opinion/communication: Penso di avere ragione (I think I'm right), Ho deciso di partire (I decided to leave).

03💪

Stressed Pronouns After Prepositions

After a preposition, Italian uses a different set of pronouns from the object pronouns you learned in Lesson 8 — called stressed or disjunctive pronouns.

per me, con me

you (inf.)

per te, con te

him

lui

per lui, con lui

her

lei

per lei, con lei

you (formal)

Lei

per Lei, con Lei

noi

per noi, con noi

you all

voi

per voi, con voi

them

loro

per loro, con loro

🔑 The Rule

Any time a pronoun follows a preposition (per, con, di, a, da, su, senza…), use this stressed set — never mi, ti, lo, la, which only go before verbs.

Questo regalo è per te. — This gift is for you.
Vengo con voi. — I'm coming with you (pl.).
Non posso vivere senza di lei. — I can't live without her.

💡 Con me and con te have special poetic forms meco/teco that survive only in old texts — in modern Italian, always just con me, con te.

04🔗

Linking Words for Complex Sentences

These connectors are what let you combine two short ideas into one flowing sentence — a huge jump in how natural you'll sound.

Essential Connectors

Italian	English
perché	because / why
siccome	since / given that (starts a sentence)
mentre	while
anche se	even though
però	but / however
quindi	so / therefore
infatti	in fact / indeed
cioè	that is / I mean

💡 Perché comes after the main clause: Resto a casa perché piove. Siccome comes first: Siccome piove, resto a casa. Same meaning, different word order.

From Short to Connected

Choppy (A1 style)	Connected (A2 style)
Sono stanco. Vado a dormire.	Siccome sono stanco, vado a dormire.
Voglio uscire. Piove.	Voglio uscire anche se piove.
Ho studiato molto. Ho passato l'esame.	Ho studiato molto, quindi ho passato l'esame.

05🧩

A First Taste of Relative Clauses — Che

The word che can mean "that/which/who," joining two sentences about the same noun into one. This is a preview — full relative clauses with cui come in Lesson 15.

🔑 The Basic Pattern

Ho un amico. Il mio amico vive a Roma. → Ho un amico che vive a Roma. — I have a friend who lives in Rome.
Il libro è interessante. Sto leggendo il libro. → Il libro che sto leggendo è interessante. — The book (that) I'm reading is interesting.

💡 Unlike English, Italian never drops che the way English drops "that": "the book I'm reading" must be il libro che sto leggendo, never just il libro sto leggendo.

06🗣️

Dialogues

Scene 1 — Explaining a Decision

SOFIA

Perché hai deciso di cambiare lavoro?

Why did you decide to change jobs?

MARCO

Siccome non ero felice, ho deciso di cercare qualcosa di nuovo. Il nuovo lavoro che ho trovato è perfetto per me.

Since I wasn't happy, I decided to look for something new. The new job I found is perfect for me.

SOFIA

Anche se guadagni meno?

Even though you earn less?

MARCO

Sì, però sono molto più contento. Quindi ne vale la pena.

Yes, but I'm much happier. So it's worth it.

Scene 2 — Making Plans Together

ANNA

Vieni con noi al cinema stasera?

Are you coming with us to the cinema tonight?

LUCA

Volentieri! Prima di uscire, però, devo finire un lavoro. Il film che vogliamo vedere inizia alle nove, giusto?

Gladly! Before going out, though, I have to finish some work. The film we want to see starts at nine, right?

ANNA

Esatto. Ci vediamo davanti al cinema alle otto e mezza, così abbiamo tempo per un caffè.

Exactly. Let's meet in front of the cinema at eight thirty, so we have time for a coffee.

LUCA

Perfetto, ci sarò!

Perfect, I'll be there!

07🇮🇹

Cultural Notes: Allora, Cioè, Insomma

The Sound of Natural Italian Speech

Real spoken Italian is full of small connector words that don't translate cleanly but do enormous conversational work: allora (so/well then, used to start explanations or transitions), cioè (I mean, used to clarify or rephrase), and insomma (basically/in short, used to summarize or express mild frustration).

You'll hear allora constantly at the start of explanations — Allora, ti spiego... (So, let me explain...) — and cioè peppered through casual speech almost like English "like" or "I mean." Learning to sprinkle these naturally (without overusing them) is one of the fastest ways to sound less like a textbook and more like a real Italian speaker.

08✏️

Exercises & Practice

Exercise 1 — Prepositions + Infinitive 🔧

Fill in per, prima di, dopo, or da:

1. Studio imparare l'italiano.

2. uscire, prendo le chiavi.

3. Ho molto fare oggi.

4. aver mangiato, usciamo.

Show Answers

1. per 2. Prima di 3. da 4. Dopo

Exercise 2 — Stressed Pronouns 💪

Fill in the correct stressed pronoun:

1. Questo regalo è per . (you, informal)

2. Vengo con . (them)

3. Non posso vivere senza di . (her)

4. Parliamo di . (us)

Show Answers

1. te 2. loro 3. lei 4. noi

Exercise 3 — Connect the Sentences 🔗

Combine using perché, siccome, quindi, or anche se:

1. Sono stanca. Vado a letto presto.

2. Ho studiato molto. Non ho passato l'esame.

3. Piove. Esco lo stesso.

Show Answers

1. Siccome sono stanca, vado a letto presto. (or: Vado a letto presto perché sono stanca.)

2. Ho studiato molto, ma non ho passato l'esame.

3. Esco lo stesso anche se piove.

Exercise 4 — Translate to Italian 🌍

1. The book that I'm reading is very interesting.

2. Before leaving, I close the windows.

3. This coffee is for you. (informal)

Show Answers

1. Il libro che sto leggendo è molto interessante.

2. Prima di uscire, chiudo le finestre.

3. Questo caffè è per te.

09🗺️

Lesson Mind Map

10🃏

Quick-Review Flashcards

Tap to reveal:

prima di + inf.

before doing something — prima di uscire

dopo aver + p.p.

after having done something — dopo aver mangiato

per te / con noi

for you / with us — stressed pronouns after prepositions

siccome

since/given that — starts the sentence, unlike perché

che

that/which/who — joins two clauses, never dropped in Italian

allora / cioè / insomma

so / I mean / basically — everyday spoken connectors

11📚

Resources & Homework

🃏

Anki — Connectors

Build cards for all 8 linking words with one original example sentence each.

✍️

Combine Sentences

Take 6 pairs of short sentences from earlier lessons and combine each pair using a different connector.

🎧

Spot the Connectors

Watch a short Italian video with subtitles and count how many times you hear allora, cioè, or insomma.

🗣️

Explain a Decision

Explain a real decision you made recently in Italian, using at least 3 linking words.

📋 Tonight's Homework

Memorise the 8 essential connectors and their basic word order rules
Practice the stressed pronoun set until automatic (me, te, lui, lei, noi, voi, loro)
Write 5 sentences using che to combine two shorter ideas
Role-play both dialogues aloud, adding your own allora/cioè/insomma where natural

🔑 Key Takeaways — What You Learned Today

Per + infinitive = purpose; prima di + infinitive = before doing; dopo aver/essere + past participle = after having done
Da + infinitive expresses need or purpose of a thing (qualcosa da mangiare); di + infinitive follows opinion/decision verbs
After any preposition, use stressed pronouns: me, te, lui, lei, Lei, noi, voi, loro — never mi, ti, lo, la
Linking words like perché, siccome, mentre, anche se, però, quindi turn short choppy sentences into natural connected ones
Perché follows the main clause; siccome starts the sentence — same meaning, different position
Che joins two related ideas about the same noun and is never dropped in Italian, unlike English "that"
Allora, cioè, insomma are everyday spoken connectors that make your Italian sound natural rather than textbook-stiff

Ottimo lavoro! 🎉

You can now build longer, more natural sentences instead of short disconnected ones — a huge and often underrated step toward sounding fluent.

Lesson 14 will cover: Expanded vocabulary for work, travel, health, and giving opinions · Real-world dialogues in each of these practical domains.

← Lesson 12 Lesson 14 →