Photo source:
MYmovies.it – Sole a catinelle
.
Film © Taodue Film / Medusa Film.
Learn Italian Prepositions with the Film “Sole a catinelle”
Would you like to learn Italian prepositions with a film? Italian cinema offers an entertaining way to hear grammar in context, discover everyday expressions and become more familiar with spoken Italian.
In this lesson, we use the Italian comedy Sole a catinelle to practise simple and articulated prepositions connected with travel, family, movement and everyday life.
Studying grammar through films helps learners associate words with situations, characters and places. Instead of memorising isolated rules, you can observe how prepositions connect people, actions and destinations.
This activity is part of our complete series about Italian prepositions. Before beginning, you can consult our
Complete Guide to Italian Prepositions
.
About “Sole a catinelle”
Title: Sole a catinelle
Year: 2013
Director: Gennaro Nunziante
Genre: Italian comedy
Main actor: Checco Zalone
The film tells the story of Checco and his son Nicolò. Checco promises his son a dream holiday if he receives excellent marks at school. When Nicolò succeeds, father and son leave on a journey, even though Checco has very little money.
Their trip becomes an amusing journey through different places, social environments and unexpected situations. The film was a major Italian box-office success, earning approximately €51.9 million.
What does “Sole a catinelle” mean?
The title plays with the Italian expression piovere a catinelle, which means “to rain very heavily” or, literally, “to rain in bucketfuls”.
The film replaces rain with sunshine, creating the humorous and unusual expression sole a catinelle.
The preposition “a” in fixed expressions
Italian uses a in several fixed expressions:
- a catinelle – in torrents or bucketfuls
- a piedi – on foot
- a casa – at home or home
- a scuola – at school or to school
- a sorpresa – unexpectedly
These expressions should usually be learned as complete units.
Italian prepositions connected with the film
Here are some useful expressions inspired by the characters, journey and situations in the film.
| Italian expression | Preposition | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| andare in vacanza | in | to go on holiday |
| partire con suo figlio | con | to leave with his son |
| viaggiare in macchina | in | to travel by car |
| una vacanza da sogno | da | a dream holiday |
| andare dai parenti | da + i | to go to one’s relatives |
| fermarsi in Molise | in | to stop in Molise |
| arrivare alla villa | a + la | to arrive at the villa |
| parlare del viaggio | di + il | to talk about the journey |
| un regalo per Nicolò | per | a present for Nicolò |
| tornare a casa | a | to return home |
Simple and articulated prepositions
The expressions above contain both simple and articulated prepositions.
Simple prepositions: di, a, da, in, con, su, per, tra and fra.
Articulated prepositions are formed when some simple prepositions combine with a definite article:
- da + i = dai: andare dai parenti
- a + la = alla: arrivare alla villa
- di + il = del: parlare del viaggio
Review the rules in our lessons on
and
Exercise 1: Choose the correct preposition
Complete each sentence with the correct preposition.
- Checco parte ___ suo figlio.
- Padre e figlio vanno ___ vacanza.
- Viaggiano ___ macchina.
- Prima si fermano ___ Molise.
- Checco va ___ suoi parenti.
- Il viaggio è un regalo ___ Nicolò.
- Successivamente arrivano ___ villa.
- Alla fine ritornano ___ casa.
Check the answers
- con
- in
- in
- in
- dai
- per
- alla
- a
Exercise 2: Simple or articulated?
Decide whether the highlighted preposition is simple or articulated.
- Checco parte con Nicolò.
- Vanno dai parenti.
- Parlano del viaggio.
- Viaggiano in macchina.
- Arrivano alla villa.
- Il regalo è per Nicolò.
Check the answers
- con – simple preposition
- dai – articulated preposition: da + i
- del – articulated preposition: di + il
- in – simple preposition
- alla – articulated preposition: a + la
- per – simple preposition
Exercise 3: Complete the travel story
Use these prepositions. Some may be used more than once:
a – alla – con – dai – del – in – per
Un padre parte ___ suo figlio ___ una vacanza speciale. I due viaggiano ___ macchina e si fermano ___ parenti. Durante il viaggio incontrano nuove persone e arrivano ___ villa molto elegante. Parlano spesso ___ loro viaggio. Alla fine tornano ___ casa con molti ricordi.
Check the completed text
Un padre parte con suo figlio per una vacanza speciale. I due viaggiano in macchina e si fermano dai parenti. Durante il viaggio incontrano nuove persone e arrivano alla villa molto elegante. Parlano spesso del loro viaggio. Alla fine tornano a casa con molti ricordi.
Speaking activity: describe a journey
Answer these questions in Italian. Try to use at least five different prepositions.
- Dove vorresti andare in vacanza?
- Con chi vorresti partire?
- Come preferisci viaggiare?
- Da quale città partiresti?
- In quale regione italiana vorresti fermarti?
- Che cosa porteresti con te?
- Quando torneresti a casa?
Example
Vorrei partire da Milano e andare in Toscana. Viaggerei in treno con due amici. Resterei in Italia per una settimana e poi tornerei a casa.
Why learn Italian through films?
Italian films expose learners to pronunciation, intonation and vocabulary used in realistic situations. They also provide cultural context, helping students understand humour, family relationships and different ways of communicating.
At
Il Centro, our Italian language school in Milan
,
authentic materials such as films, music and everyday conversations are an important part of the learning experience.
You can also practise Italian through music with our lesson
Learn Italian Prepositions with “Buon viaggio”
.
Continue studying Italian prepositions
Would you like to improve your Italian?
Study Italian through grammar, conversation, films, music and authentic cultural materials with experienced native-speaking teachers.