Understanding the Italian Preposition “IN”: Easy Guide with Examples

Hello and welcome back!
In this lesson, we’ll talk about the Italian preposition “in.”
Let me put myself in the corner here and let’s start.

“IN” is very important — but yo, every single preposition is important.
We’re gonna use it in the following case scenarios (or at least in the majority of them).
Then, sure, there are other small usages here and there, but these are the key ones.

We’ll see how “in” works in these main situations:

• Being in a place
• Movement toward a country or region
• Means of transportation
• Timeframe with seasons

Content

• Italian Preposition “in”: Full Video
• Italian Preposition “in”: Being in a Place
• Italian Preposition “in”: Movement Toward a Country or Region
• Italian Preposition “in”: Means of Transportation
• Italian Preposition “in”: Timeframe with Seasons
• Conclusion

Italian Preposition “in”: Full Video

Italian Preposition “in”: Being in a Place

Example: Mike is in Italy now.
By “place,” I also include countries.

So:
Mike è in Italia.

Pretty easy, right?

Let’s see another one:
John and Susan are in the backyard.

Backyard is giardino in Italian.
Now, quick note — in Italy, backyards are rare.
We use giardino both for a private garden and for public parks.

So the translation is:
John e Susan sono nel giardino.

Why “nel”? Because it’s the combination of in + il.
We’ll talk about combined prepositions very soon.

If in your notes you wrote “in il giardino,” that’s fine — it’s correct, just not combined yet.

Italian Preposition “in”: Movement Toward a Country or Region

Now things get interesting.

You remember when we said movement toward cities or towns uses a, right?
Like:

• Vado a Roma
• Vado a Miami

But when we talk about movement toward countries or regions, we use in.

Example:
I want to go to Germany.
→ Voglio andare in Germania.

Let’s do another one:
John wants to go to Florida.
→ John vuole andare in Florida.

Here’s the logic:
In the U.S. or Canada, states are big — we treat them like countries.
If you think about it, it makes sense: stop comparing United States to Italy or Germany; compare United States to Europe.
So, Florida is like Italy, California like Spain, New York like Germany — that’s how I see it, and honestly, it makes way more sense.

Now, one more:
I want to go to the United States of America.
→ Voglio andare negli Stati Uniti.

Here’s what happens:
in + gli (the plural article for Stati) becomes negli.

If in your notes you wrote “in gli Stati Uniti,” that’s okay too — no big deal.

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Italian Preposition “in”: Means of Transportation

Super easy.

We go to Rome by train.
→ Andiamo a Roma in treno.

Let’s do a quick exercise — write down the names of these means of transportation in Italian:

• Train → treno
• Plane → aereo
• Helicopter → elicottero
• Bus → autobus (yes, same word!)
• Car → macchina
• Boat → barca
• Ship → nave
• Ferryboat → traghetto
• Bicycle → bicicletta or just bici
• Motorcycle → motocicletta or moto
• Scooter → scooter (we keep it as is)

Nice little review right there.

Now translate this:
We must go to Berlin by plane because the highway is too expensive.

Let’s break it down:

• Plane → aereo
• Highway → autostrada (feminine)
• Too → troppo (and it stays with the “-o”)
• Expensive → costosa (since autostrada is feminine)

Result:
Dobbiamo andare a Berlino in aereo perché l’autostrada è troppo costosa.

Italian Preposition “in”: Timeframe with Seasons

In summer I always go to Bulgaria.
→ In estate vado sempre in Bulgaria.

I always go there every single summer — it’s amazing, you should go if you haven’t already.
Fun fact: estate is not “stato”; it’s pronounced “eh-STAH-te.”

Now try this:
Every winter I go to Mexico because I want to avoid European winter.

Let’s do it step by step:

• Every → ogni
• Winter → inverno
• Avoid → evitare
• European → europeo

Translation:
Ogni inverno vado in Messico perché voglio evitare l’inverno europeo.

Notice again: movement toward the country → in Messico.
With towns or cities, it would be a, but with countries → in.

Seasons Recap

Here’s a quick summary for you:

Fun fact: Primavera is also the same word in Spanish.

Conclusion

That’s it for today’s lesson on the preposition “in.”
We covered being in a place, movement toward countries or regions, means of transportation, and timeframe with seasons.

If something wasn’t clear, you know how to reach out to me.
I’ll see you in the very next video — or here on the blog.

Ciao for now!

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