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Italian Phrase

Dove sei andato/a all'università?

/ˈdove ˈsɛi anˈda.to al uni.verˈsi.ta/

Meaning"Where did you go to university?"

💡

Meaning

Literally “Where did you go to university?” It is used to ask someone which university they attended or the city where they studied, focusing on the place rather than the field of study.

🎯

When to use

Use this informal question with friends, classmates, or colleagues when you want to know about their educational background. It is too casual for a formal interview or a written questionnaire, where you would prefer *In quale università ha studiato?*

✦Grammar Breakdown

Doveseiandato/aall'università?

1

Dove

Interrogative adverb meaning “where”, used to ask about location.

2

sei

Second‑person singular of the auxiliary verb *essere* in the present indicative; required for the passato prossimo of *andare*.

3

andato/a

Past participle of *andare*; it agrees in gender with the subject (masc. *andato*, fem. *andata*).

4

all'

Contraction of the preposition *a* + the definite article *l'*; means “to the”.

5

università

Feminine noun meaning “university”. Even though it ends in –à, the article is *l'*.

🗨In Conversation

A

Dove sei andato/a all'università?

Where did you go to university?

Sono andato all'Università di Bologna.

I went to the University of Bologna.

B

✕Common Mistakes

Dove sei andato in all'università?
The correct preposition is *a* (contracted to *all'*), not *in*.
Dove sei andato alla università?
Because *università* starts with a vowel, the article contracts to *l'*; *alla* is incorrect.
Dove sei andato all'università?
If you want a more formal tone, use *ha* with *Lei*: *Dove ha andato all'università?* The informal *sei* is fine among peers.

↔Alternatives

In quale università hai studiato?
At which university did you study?
Qual è la tua università?
What university did you attend?
Dove hai fatto l'università?
Where did you do university?

Cultural Tip

In Italy the word *università* is always feminine, even though the ending –à looks masculine. When naming a specific university Italians usually say *l'Università di* followed by the city (e.g., *l'Università di Milano*). Also, the past participle of *andare* must match the speaker’s gender, so a woman would say *andata* and a man *andato*.