7.3. Adverbs of place/prepositions

Adverbs of place can also be categorized as prepositions. In Italian, when they function as prepositions they are called preposizioni improprie.

They are considered adverbs of place when they modify a verb; they are considered prepositions when they modify a noun or pronoun. Let’s look at two examples with the word sopra, “above.” E.g.,

Sopra l’armadio c’è un gatto. = Above the armchair there is a cat.

In this example sopra would be considered a preposition because it modifies a noun, l’armadio.

Sopra c’è un gatto. =  There’s a cat above.

      In this example sopra would be considered an adverb because it modifies a verb, c’è.   

Similar to all other adverbs (and regardless of their function as adverb or preposition), they are invariable. For the sake of convenience, we will refer to them as “adverbs of place” for the rest of this section.

Many adverbs of place frequently require the preposition a, di, or da after them. These ‘follow-up’ prepositions can be simple or contracted, e.g.,

Vicino a Roma

Near Rome

Vicino al cinema 

Near the theater

Following are the most common examples of such adverbs of place, and the preposition that usually follows them.