When to use di and da
Di
- With the verb essere (to be) to indicate origin:
Anna è di Milano.
Anna is from Milan.
- Before a verb in its infinitive (standard) form, in response to the questions “who?” or “what?”:
Ho dimenticato di portare i libri.
I have forgotten to bring the books.
- To indicate possession:
Questo libro è di Toni.
This book is Toni's.
- To indicate the material something is made of:
Questo tavolo è di legno.
This table is made of wood.
Da
- With the verbs venire (to come), arrivare (to arrive) and tornare (to return) to indicate origin:
Anna viene da Milano.
Anna comes from Milan.
- Before a verb in its infinitive (standard) form, to express what needs to be done or how to do it:
C’è ancora tanto da fare.
There is still a lot to do.
- To indicate movement towards a person or place, or the fact of being at or doing something at someone's home:
Vado da Giovanni.
I'm going to Giovanni's (house).
Dormo da Luca.
I'm sleeping at Luca's (house).
- To indicate the duration of something that started in the past and is ongoing:
Studio portoghese da due anni.
I have been studying Portuguese for two years (note that Italian uses the present tense + da + time to express “for” in the sense of “since”).
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