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Different, distant, or independent: use 'da'

In Italian, adjectives that express difference, distance or independence take the preposition da before the thing they differ from, stand apart from or are free of. So you say diverso da (different from), lontano da (far from), indipendente da (independent of) and libero da (free from).

English speakers often go wrong here because English uses several prepositions for this idea: from, of, and sometimes than (as in different than). Italian uses just one, da. The typical mistakes are diverso di or diverso che, both borrowed from English habits or from other Italian comparisons.

Word list
differenteA2 different differente da qualcosa = different from something diversomA2 different diverso da = different from lontanoA2 far abitare lontano dal centro = to live far from the center al sicuroB1 safe al sicuro dai pericoli = safe from danger assenteB1 absent assente dal lavoro = absent from work indipendenteB1 independent indipendente dai genitori = independent of one's parents indipendenteB1 separate indipendente da = separate from, unaffected by isolatomB1 lonely isolato dal mondo = cut off from the world liberomB1 free libero da obblighi = free from obligations separatomB1 separate separato da = separate from distintomB2 separate distinto da = distinct from divorziatomB2 divorced divorziata dal marito = divorced from her husband esente da daziB2 duty-free esente da dazi = free from customs duties esente da dazioB2 duty-free esente da dazio = free from customs duty lontanomB2 faraway una città lontana dal mare = a city far from the sea separatomB2 separated separata dal marito = separated from her husband
How it works

The pattern is simple: adjective + da + the thing you are measuring against. Think of da as marking a starting point or a point of separation. Whatever is different, distant, absent or free is being measured away from something, and that something comes after da.

Remember that da combines with the definite article: dal, dallo, dalla, dall', dai, dagli, dalle. The adjective itself still agrees with its noun as usual.

La realtà è diversa dalle aspettative.
(Reality is different from expectations.)

Rule of thumb: if English says from or of after an idea of separation, Italian almost always says da.

The words
Difference

Diverso and differente both mean different and both take da. Diverso is the more everyday choice. Distinto (distinct, separate) works the same way.

Mio fratello è molto diverso da me.
(My brother is very different from me.)
Questa versione è differente dall'originale.
(This version is different from the original.)
Il problema tecnico è distinto dal problema economico.
(The technical problem is separate from the economic one.)
Distance

Lontano can be an adjective (it agrees: lontano, lontana, lontani, lontane) or an adverb (it never changes). Either way, the place you are far from follows da.

Abitiamo lontano dal centro.
(We live far from the centre.)
È una città lontana dal mare.
(It's a city far from the sea.)
Absence and separation

Assente (absent) and separato (separate, or separated from a spouse) take da too.

Marco è assente dal lavoro da tre giorni.
(Marco has been absent from work for three days.)
Tieni la carne cruda separata dalle verdure.
(Keep raw meat separate from the vegetables.)
Anna è separata dal marito, ma non sono divorziati.
(Anna is separated from her husband, but they aren't divorced.)
Independence and freedom

Indipendente and libero follow the same pattern. Note that English says independent of, but Italian still says da.

Vorrei essere indipendente dai miei genitori.
(I'd like to be independent of my parents.)
Finalmente sono libera da ogni impegno.
(At last I'm free from all commitments.)

The fixed phrase esente da dazio (or esente da dazi), meaning duty-free, shows the same logic: goods that are free from customs duty.

In aeroporto ho comprato un profumo esente da dazio.
(I bought a duty-free perfume at the airport.)
Watch out
  • Never say diverso di or diverso che when you mean different from. Always use diverso da.
  • Libero di + infinitive is a different construction: it means free to do something, as in sei libero di andare (you're free to go). Use libero da only for what you are free from.
  • With lontano, check whether it describes a noun (adjective, so it agrees: una casa lontana) or a verb (adverb, so it stays lontano: abitano lontano). The preposition is da in both cases.
  • Don't forget the contraction: lontano dal centro, not lontano da il centro.
Summary

When an Italian adjective expresses difference, distance, absence, separation or independence, the thing it is measured against is introduced by da: diverso da, lontano da, assente da, separato da, indipendente da, libero da. Wherever English says from, of or than in these cases, use da, and combine it with the article when needed.