Let's have a look to them:
DI A DA IN CON SU PER TRA
If you learn them in this order, you can memorise much better, like a sort of silly song...or a mantra:
DI A DA IN CON SU PER TRA FRAAAA DI A DA IN CON SU PER TRA FRAAAA
DI A DA IN CON SU PER TRA FRAAAA DI A DA IN CON SU PER TRA FRAAAA
DI: it substitutes "'s" (possession. Example: Maria's pen) and "of" (the history of the planet). In short, when you need to specify the belongness, use DI.
Maria's pen = La penna di Maria
The history of the planet = La storia del pianeta
Note: di dove sei?= where are you from? ( of course, it is not a literal translation, but it is equivalent. Never translate literallly, you can increase your mistakes).
A: it is usually helpful to give directions. It substitutes "at, to, in". Of course, it depends on context. Perhaps, this it the trickest Italian preposition ever. Here are some common examples:
1. indirect object (... to somebody/something): Hai chiesto a Franco?/ Have you asked Franco ? In this example "a" substitutes the English "to". It is implied.
2. places: if we are talking about a city/town we say "vivo a Milano", but if we are talking about a region/nation we use "in" ( for "in explanation", see afterwards).
Another example: I work AT Live Lingua institute/ lavoro PRESSO/ALL' istituto Live Lingua.Remember: @=at=a/presso.
3. movement towards a place: it is like in English. I go to the cinema / vado al cinema.
4. time and age: we use "a" with the part of the day and hours. Examples: dormo a mezzanotte/ I sleep at midnight, Ci vediamo alle 10/ see you at 10. Mi sono sposato a 30 anni /I got married at 30 y.o.
5. famous exception: a piedi/on foot. easy:)
DA: it substitutes mainly " from, since". And movement to a location. Examples:
Vado dal dentista /I go to the dentist.
Lavoro dalle 9 alle 5/I work from 9 to 5.
Non lo vedo dallo scorso maggio/ I have not seen him since last May.
IN: it substitutes mainly "in, into, by(means)".
Examples:
I live in via Rossi/ I live in Rossi street.
Sono in giardino/ I am in the garden.
Sono nato nel 1963/ I was born in 1963.
Note: In this context, Italian In and English In are equivalent. We use it in a specific place, usually within a precise area.
Bravo in francese/ good at French.
Parto in aereo/ I leave by airplane.
Sono bloccato nell'ascensore/ I am stuck into the lift.
And now let's see the simpler ones.
CON: with/by (transport).
Example: Vado con lei/I go with her. Vengo con l'autobus/ I come by bus.
SU: on, on top, over, about, above.
Examples:
Il libro è sul tavolo/the book is on the table.
Una mostra sulla vita di Dante/ an exhibition about Dante's life.
L'aereo è sopra il cielo/ the airplane is above the sky.
PER: mainly for and through. We use to describe a somebody/something's goal/aim. It is not clear, I know.
Examples:
L'appuntamento è fissato per domani mattina/the appointment is arranged for tomorrow morning.
Per mezzo dell'interruttore, noi accendiamo la luce/ We switch on the light through a switcher.
La macchina per scrivere / literally: the machine for typing. Of course, you do not say that in English, but focus on this preposition. There is an aim. so, we use"per".
TRA and FRA: between/among. They are synonyms, so it is up to you choose either tra or fra. They have exactly the same meaning.
All above mentioned prepositions are the so-called Preposizioni Semplici/Simple Prepositions. But, most of the time, they are matched with a proper article (Articled Prepositions).
The method is very easy.
Let's take "a" as example:
A + IL= AL
A + LA= ALLA
A + LO= ALLO
A + GLI= AGLI
A + I= AI
A + LE= ALLE
The same method for the other prepositions, except the "3 letters" prepositions: per, con, tra, fra. We cannot merge them.
Note: when you merge articles with IN and DI they turn respectively into "NE" and " DE".
Examples: NELLO/DELLO.
Any doubts? Check Resources and Tips out!