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,† â€Å"together,† or â€Å"by depending on the context. Here are eight ways to use it. 8 Ways to Use the Preposition â€Å"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 potatoesVorrei un’​insalata mista con salsa - I’d like a mixed salad with dressing TIP: The preposition is frequently reinforced with the term insieme: farà ² 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 hammerArrivare con laereo - 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 - PatientlyCon difficoltà   - With difficultyCon ogni mezzo - By any meansCon piacere - With pleasure Attribute (Qualità  ) Una ragazza con i capelli biondi - A girl with blonde hairCamera con bagno - Room with ensuite bathroom Cause, Reason (Causa) Con linflazione che cà ¨, il denaro vale sempre meno. - With inflation, money is worth less than ever.Con questo caldo à ¨ 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 â€Å"con† shows opposition, which you often see with the connector words, like malgrado - in spite of† or â€Å"nonostante - despite.† Con tutta la buona volontà  , non posso proprio acconsentire. - Despite all of the good intentions, I can’t agree. Sometimes â€Å"con† can be omitted, especially in poetic and literary expressions indicating parts of the body or clothes. Arrivà ² 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 â€Å"con† and a verb in the infinitive, like â€Å"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, â€Å"con† is combined with the article to give the following combined forms known as prepositional articles, or preposizioni articolate in Italian. Le Preposizioni Articolate PREPOSIZONE ARTICOLO PREPOSIZIONI DETERMINATIVO ARTICOLATE con il col con lo collo con l coll con i coi con gli cogli con la colla con le colle NOTE: Using â€Å"con† with the preposition isn’t as widely used. The one form you’re most likely to hear it in is â€Å"col.†