nei confronti di / per quanto riguarda
Complex Prepositional Phrases
Use nei confronti di to describe an attitude or stance toward someone/something. Use per quanto riguarda to introduce a specific topic or isolate a subject from a context.
How It Works
These phrases are staples of formal, academic, and bureaucratic Italian.
1. Nei confronti di (Toward / In relation to)
This phrase focuses on the relationship or attitude one has toward an entity. It comes from confronto (comparison/face-to-face meeting).
- With Nouns: Use the full phrase: nei confronti della legge (toward the law).
- With Pronouns: It usually changes to a possessive structure: nei miei confronti (toward me), nei loro confronti (toward them).
2. Per quanto riguarda (As for / Regarding)
This is a topic marker. It isolates a specific subject to provide information about it.
- With Nouns: Followed directly by the noun: per quanto riguarda il prezzo... (as for the price...).
- With Pronouns: The pronoun is placed before the verb riguarda as a clitic: per quanto mi riguarda (as far as I'm concerned).
- Mood: Despite starting with 'per quanto', it almost always takes the indicative mood (riguarda) rather than the subjunctive.
Examples (4)
- L'azienda ha sempre mostrato grande correttezza nei confronti dei dipendenti.
The company has always shown great fairness toward its employees.
Word by Word: The company has always shown great fairness in the comparisons of the employees.
Here, 'nei confronti di' expresses the company's attitude or behavior toward a specific group.
- Per quanto riguarda la tua proposta, ne discuteremo durante la riunione.
As for your proposal, we will discuss it during the meeting.
Word by Word: For how much it regards the your proposal, of it we will discuss during the meeting.
This uses 'per quanto riguarda' to isolate 'the proposal' as the specific topic of the upcoming discussion.
- Non ho nulla da aggiungere, per quanto mi riguarda la questione è chiusa.
I have nothing to add; as far as I'm concerned, the matter is closed.
Word by Word: Not I have nothing from to add, for how much me it regards the question is closed.
Note the placement of the pronoun 'mi' before the verb 'riguarda' in this common idiomatic expression.
- Ha espresso parole molto gentili nei miei confronti.
He expressed very kind words toward me.
Word by Word: He has expressed words very kind in the my comparisons.
When using a pronoun with 'nei confronti di', we use the possessive adjective (miei) instead of 'di me'.
Common Mistakes
Using 'di' after 'per quanto riguarda'.
Per quanto riguarda di questo progetto, non so nulla.Per quanto riguarda questo progetto, non so nulla.'Per quanto riguarda' is followed directly by the noun phrase; adding 'di' is a common redundancy error.
Incorrect pronoun placement with 'per quanto riguarda'.
Per quanto riguarda mi, va bene.Per quanto mi riguarda, va bene.With pronouns, you must use the clitic form (mi, ti, lo, etc.) before the verb 'riguarda'.
Using 'per quanto riguarda' for an attitude toward someone.
Different MeaningLui è molto aggressivo per quanto riguarda i colleghi.Lui è molto aggressivo nei confronti dei colleghi.The sentence is correct, but it reads as a topic: 'as for the colleagues, he is aggressive'. To say who his aggression is aimed at, use 'nei confronti di'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn these formal complex prepositions, you need a solid grasp of how simple and articulated prepositions function in Italian. Additionally, familiarity with the concept of multi-word prepositional phrases (locuzioni preposizionali) is essential, as these patterns follow the same structural logic but are used in more formal or professional contexts.
Related Patterns
- Articulated (Contracted) Prepositions
Both phrases often involve combining 'di' or 'nei' with definite articles to form articulated prepositions.
Level 1 - Possessive Adjectives
Possessive adjectives are used with 'nei confronti' when referring to people (e.g., nei miei confronti).
Level 1 - mi / ti / lo / la / ci / vi / li / leDirect Object Pronouns
Direct object clitic pronouns are used within the structure of 'per quanto riguarda' (e.g., per quanto mi riguarda).
Level 1 - Lei / tuFormal vs. Informal Register (Lei vs. Tu)
These phrases are markers of a formal register and are less common in casual conversation.
Level 3
Words in This Pattern
Sources
Practice nei confronti di / per quanto riguarda in Bubblegum
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