Italian flag

Cities take 'a', countries take 'in'

English uses in for almost every place: in Rome, in Italy, in Europe. Italian splits this into two prepositions. For a city it uses a: a Roma, a Parigi, a Londra. For a country or a region it uses in: in Italia, in Francia, in Germania.

English speakers tend to reach for in every time, so in Roma is one of the most common beginner slips. The good news is that the choice depends only on the kind of place. It does not change with the verb, so the same preposition works whether you live somewhere or travel there.

Word list
CinafA1 China in Cina = in/to China EuropafA1 Europe in Europa = in/to Europe FranciafA1 France in Francia = in/to France GermaniafA1 Germany in Germania = in/to Germany InghilterrafA1 England in Inghilterra = in/to England ItaliafA1 Italy in Italia = in/to Italy SpagnafA1 Spain in Spagna = in/to Spain AfricafA2 Africa in Africa = in/to Africa AntartidefA2 Antarctica in Antartide = in/to Antarctica ArgentinafA2 Argentina in Argentina = in/to Argentina AsiafA2 Asia in Asia = in/to Asia AustraliafA2 Australia in Australia = in/to Australia BrasilemA2 Brazil in Brasile = in/to Brazil CanadamA2 Canada in Canada = in/to Canada GiapponemA2 Japan in Giappone = in/to Japan Gran BretagnafA2 Great Britain in Gran Bretagna = in/to Great Britain IndiafA2 India in India = in/to India MessicomA2 Mexico in Messico = in/to Mexico NordamericaA2 North America in Nordamerica = in/to North America OlandafA2 Netherlands in Olanda = in/to Netherlands, Holland PortogallomA2 Portugal in Portogallo = in/to Portugal RussiafA2 Russia in Russia = in/to Russia Sud AmericamA2 South America in Sud America = in/to South America BelgiomB1 Belgium in Belgio = in/to Belgium CentroamericamB1 Central America in Centroamerica = in/to Central America Corea del SudfB1 South Korea in Corea del Sud = in/to South Korea EgittomB1 Egypt in Egitto = in/to Egypt GreciafB1 Greece in Grecia = in/to Greece IrlandafB1 Ireland in Irlanda = in/to Ireland LondrafB1 London a Londra = in/to London OceaniafB1 Oceania in Oceania = in/to Oceania ParigifB1 Paris a Parigi = in/to Paris SvizzerafB1 Switzerland in Svizzera = in/to Switzerland TurchiafB1 Turkey in Turchia = in/to Turkey (country) AustriafB2 Austria in Austria = in/to Austria CatalognafB2 Catalonia in Catalogna = in/to Catalonia ColombiafB2 Colombia in Colombia = in/to Colombia Corea del NordfB2 North Korea in Corea del Nord = in/to North Korea DanimarcafB2 Denmark in Danimarca = in/to Denmark FinlandiafB2 Finland in Finlandia = in/to Finland GroenlandiafB2 Greenland in Groenlandia = in/to Greenland IndonesiafB2 Indonesia in Indonesia = in/to Indonesia IsraelemB2 Israel in Israele = in/to Israel NorvegiafB2 Norway in Norvegia = in/to Norway PakistanmB2 Pakistan in Pakistan = in/to Pakistan PechinofB2 Beijing a Pechino = in/to Beijing PoloniafB2 Poland in Polonia = in/to Poland RomafB2 Rome a Roma = in/to Rome ScandinaviafB2 Scandinavia in Scandinavia = in/to Scandinavia ScoziafB2 Scotland in Scozia = in/to Scotland SingaporemB2 Singapore a Singapore = in/to Singapore SveziafB2 Sweden in Svezia = in/to Sweden ThailandiafB2 Thailand in Thailandia = in/to Thailand UngheriafB2 Hungary in Ungheria = in/to Hungary ViennafB2 Vienna a Vienna = in/to Vienna Arabia SauditafC1 Saudi Arabia in Arabia Saudita = in/to Saudi Arabia ArmeniafC1 Armenia in Armenia = in/to Armenia BielorussiafC1 Belarus in Bielorussia = in/to Belarus BulgariafC1 Bulgaria in Bulgaria = in/to Bulgaria CambogiafC1 Cambodia in Cambogia = in/to Cambodia CechiafC1 Czech Republic in Cechia = in/to Czech Republic CroaziafC1 Croatia in Croazia = in/to Croatia EstoniafC1 Estonia in Estonia = in/to Estonia FirenzefC1 Florence a Firenze = in/to Florence (city) IranmC1 Iran in Iran = in/to Iran LettoniafC1 Latvia in Lettonia = in/to Latvia LituaniafC1 Lithuania in Lituania = in/to Lithuania LussemburgomC1 Luxembourg in Lussemburgo = in/to Luxembourg MalesiafC1 Malaysia in Malesia = in/to Malaysia MaroccomC1 Morocco in Marocco = in/to Morocco MongoliafC1 Mongolia in Mongolia = in/to Mongolia MoscafC1 Moscow a Mosca = in/to Moscow Nuova ZelandafC1 New Zealand in Nuova Zelanda = in/to New Zealand PerùmC1 Peru in Perù = in/to Peru RomaniafC1 Romania in Romania = in/to Romania SerbiafC1 Serbia in Serbia = in/to Serbia SlovacchiafC1 Slovakia in Slovacchia = in/to Slovakia SloveniafC1 Slovenia in Slovenia = in/to Slovenia SudafricafC1 South Africa in Sudafrica = in/to South Africa TunisiafC1 Tunisia in Tunisia = in/to Tunisia UcrainafC1 Ukraine in Ucraina = in/to Ukraine VeneziafC1 Venice a Venezia = in/to Venice AlbaniafC2 Albania in Albania = in/to Albania AlgeriafC2 Algeria in Algeria = in/to Algeria BoliviafC2 Bolivia in Bolivia = in/to Bolivia BruxellesfC2 Brussels a Bruxelles = in/to Brussels EurasiafC2 Eurasia in Eurasia = in/to Eurasia (supercontinent) IraqmC2 Iraq in Iraq = in/to Iraq KazakistanmC2 Kazakhstan in Kazakistan = in/to Kazakhstan VietnammC2 Vietnam in Vietnam = in/to Vietnam
How it works

Ask yourself one question: is this place a city or a country? A city takes a. A country or a region takes in. Italian uses the same preposition for being somewhere (sono a Roma, I am in Rome) and for going there (vado a Roma, I am going to Rome). English switches between in and to, but Italian keeps one word for both.

Vivo a Roma, in Italia.
(I live in Rome, in Italy.)
Andiamo a Parigi, in Francia.
(We're going to Paris, in France.)

Notice that there is no article. You say in Italia, not nell'Italia, and a Roma, not alla Roma.

The words
Cities take a

This group covers Roma, Parigi, Londra, Firenze, Venezia, Vienna, Bruxelles, Mosca and Pechino. Every city works the same way, whether it is big or small, Italian or foreign.

Mia sorella lavora a Londra.
(My sister works in London.)
Domani andiamo a Firenze in treno.
(Tomorrow we're going to Florence by train.)
Sono stato a Venezia, a Vienna e a Bruxelles.
(I've been to Venice, Vienna and Brussels.)
Il volo per Pechino fa scalo a Mosca.
(The flight to Beijing stops over in Moscow.)
European countries take in

This group covers Italia, Francia, Germania, Spagna, Portogallo, Inghilterra, Gran Bretagna, Irlanda, Belgio, Olanda, Svizzera, Austria, Polonia, Cechia, Ungheria, Svezia, Norvegia, Danimarca, Finlandia, Grecia, Turchia, Russia and Ucraina. Masculine countries such as Portogallo and Belgio follow the same rule as feminine ones.

Quest'estate andiamo in Spagna o in Portogallo.
(This summer we're going to Spain or Portugal.)
Marco studia in Germania.
(Marco studies in Germany.)
Fa molto freddo in Norvegia e in Finlandia.
(It's very cold in Norway and Finland.)
Countries further away and regions also take in

This group covers Cina, Giappone, India, Canada, Messico, Brasile, Argentina, Australia, Egitto, Marocco and Tunisia. Regions work the same way: in Catalogna, and inside Italy in Toscana and in Sicilia.

I miei cugini abitano in Canada.
(My cousins live in Canada.)
Vorrei andare in Giappone in primavera.
(I'd like to go to Japan in spring.)
Barcellona è in Catalogna.
(Barcelona is in Catalonia.)
Watch out

The typical mistake is in Roma or in Londra. If the place is a city, switch to a.

Treat this as a strong default, not an absolute law. There are a few exceptions:

  • Small islands behave like cities: a Cuba, a Cipro, a Capri. Large islands behave like regions: in Sicilia, in Sardegna.
  • Plural country names take a preposition combined with an article: negli Stati Uniti.
  • Modified country names also need the article: nell'Italia del Nord (in northern Italy).

These article forms follow their own rules. For everyday sentences, the simple rule is enough: a for the city, in for the country.

Summary

For cities, use a: a Roma, a Parigi, a Londra. For countries and regions, use in with no article: in Italia, in Francia, in Toscana. The same preposition covers being there and going there. Remember the few exceptions: small islands take a (a Cuba), and plural or modified names take an article (negli Stati Uniti).