Partitive Articles in Italian

Overview

Partitive articles express "some" or "any" in Italian. They are formed by combining the preposition di with the definite article, creating contracted forms like del, della, dei, delle. They indicate an unspecified quantity of something — not all of it, not a specific amount, just "some."

In English, we often drop "some" entirely ("I bought apples"), but Italian typically requires either a partitive article or an alternative like qualche or alcuni. Using partitive articles correctly makes your Italian sound much more natural.

Partitive articles follow the exact same contraction pattern as other articulated prepositions (di + il = del, di + lo = dello, etc.), so if you already know those, you already know the forms.

How It Works

Forms of the Partitive Article

di +	Singular	Plural
il	del	dei
lo	dello	degli
la	della	delle
l'	dell'	degli / delle

When to Use Each Form

The choice follows the same rules as the definite article:

Form	Used before	Example
del	masc. sg., consonant	del pane (some bread)
dello	masc. sg., s+cons., z, gn, ps	dello zucchero (some sugar)
della	fem. sg., consonant	della frutta (some fruit)
dell'	sg., vowel	dell'acqua (some water)
dei	masc. pl., consonant	dei libri (some books)
degli	masc. pl., vowel/s+cons./z	degli amici (some friends)
delle	fem. pl.	delle mele (some apples)

Singular vs. Plural Usage

• Singular partitives are used with uncountable nouns (bread, water, sugar, fruit):

  Vorrei della frutta. (I'd like some fruit.)

• Plural partitives are used with countable nouns:

  Ho comprato dei pomodori. (I bought some tomatoes.)

Alternatives to Partitive Articles

Alternative	Usage	Example
qualche + singular noun	"Some" (always singular!)	qualche amico (some friends)
alcuni/e + plural noun	"Some" (plural)	alcuni amici (some friends)
un po' di	"A bit of" (uncountable)	un po' di pane (a bit of bread)

In Negative Sentences

Partitive articles are generally not used in negative sentences. Use di alone or nothing:

Non ho amici qui. / Non ho di amici qui. (I don't have any friends here.) Non c'è pane. (There is no bread.)

Examples in Context

Italian	English	Note
Vorrei del pane.	I'd like some bread.	Uncountable, masc.
Compro della frutta.	I buy some fruit.	Uncountable, fem.
Ci sono dei biscotti.	There are some cookies.	Countable, masc. pl.
Ho visto delle persone.	I saw some people.	Countable, fem. pl.
Metti dello zucchero?	Do you add some sugar?	Before s + consonant
Ho degli amici italiani.	I have some Italian friends.	Before vowel
Vuoi dell'acqua?	Do you want some water?	Before vowel, singular
Ho comprato dei fiori.	I bought some flowers.	Countable, masc. pl.
Abbiamo delle domande.	We have some questions.	Fem. pl.
C'è del latte nel frigo?	Is there some milk in the fridge?	Uncountable, masc.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting the partitive article entirely

Wrong: Voglio pane, per favore. Right: Voglio del pane, per favore. Why: Unlike English, Italian usually requires "some" to be explicitly expressed with uncountable nouns in affirmative sentences.

Using qualche with a plural noun

Wrong: Qualche amici sono venuti. Right: Qualche amico è venuto. / Alcuni amici sono venuti. Why: Qualche always takes a singular noun (even though the meaning is plural). If you want a plural noun, use alcuni/e instead.

Using partitive articles in negative sentences

Wrong: Non ho dei soldi. Right: Non ho soldi. Why: In negative sentences, Italian typically drops the partitive. Just use the bare noun.

Practice Tips

• Practice at meals: Food vocabulary is the perfect context for partitives. Describe what you are eating: Mangio del pane, della marmellata, dei biscotti...
• Convert between alternatives: Take the same idea and express it three ways: dei libri / qualche libro / alcuni libri. This builds flexibility.
• Notice partitives when reading: Italian menus, recipes, and shopping lists are full of partitive articles. Pay attention to which form is used and why.

Related Concepts

• Articulated Prepositions
• Partitive Ne