sugli

Sugli is an Italian contracted preposition formed from su + gli. It is used before masculine plural nouns that take the definite article gli, and it denotes position or relation as well as a topic or subject in discourse. It is the plural counterpart of sul (su + il) and is not used with feminine nouns, where forms like sulla or sulle are appropriate.

Usage and examples:

- Position or location: i libri sugli scaffali (the books on the shelves), sugli alberi (on the trees).

- Topic or subject: un libro sugli studi italiani (a book about Italian studies), una relazione sugli eventi recenti (a report about the recent events).

- Before nouns that require the definite article gli, such as those beginning with certain consonant clusters (z, s+consonant, ps, gn, x, y) or with vowels. Examples: gli zaini → sugli zaini; gli studenti → sugli studenti; gli alberi → sugli alberi.

Related forms:

- Sul (su + il) before masculine singular nouns: sul tavolo (on the table).

- Sulla / sull' / sulle before feminine nouns: sulla porta, sull'auto, sulle sedie.

Notes:

- Sugli is not used with feminine nouns; use sulle for feminine plurals and sulla or sull' for feminine singulars depending on the following noun.

- In phrases meaning “about” or “concerning,” sugli can introduce topics similarly to "about" in English, particularly when the noun is plural and paired with the definite article gli.

Origin and grammar:

Sugli derives from the basic preposition su, augmented by the definite article gli. Its use reflects Italian article contraction rules and helps specify both spatial relations and discourse topics in a compact form.