Articoli partitivi e alcune espressioni → Partitive articles and some expressions

Partitive articles and related expressions in Italian

Italian uses partitive articles and a number of related expressions to talk about an unspecified amount or portion of something — English "some," "a few," or "any." This article explains what partitives mean, how they're formed, when to use them (and when not to), useful alternatives, how to replace them with the pronoun ne, common mistakes, and lots of examples.

What is a partitive article?

A partitive article expresses an indefinite quantity or portion of a whole: "some of" or simply "some." It does not mean "all." In Italian the partitive is often formed by combining the preposition di with the definite article (del, dello, della, dell', dei, degli, delle).

Examples:
- Vorrei del pane. (I would like some bread.)
- Ci sono delle persone in sala. (There are some people in the room.)
- Hai dell'acqua? (Do you have any water?)
- Ho comprato dei libri. (I bought some books.)

How are partitive articles formed?

The common partitive forms are contractions of di + the definite article:
- di + il = del (masculine singular)
- di + lo = dello (masculine singular before s+consonant, z, ps, gn, x, y)
- di + l' = dell' (before a vowel)
- di + la = della (feminine singular)
- di + i = dei (masculine plural)
- di + gli = degli (masculine plural before vowel or special consonant)
- di + le = delle (feminine plural)

Examples:
- del pane (some bread)
- dello zucchero (some sugar) — "zucchero" begins with z
- dell'acqua (some water)
- della pizza (some pizza)
- dei libri (some books)
- degli amici (some friends)
- delle mele (some apples)

Note on meaning
The same forms (del, della, dei...) can also mean "of the" (possession) depending on context:
- Il libro del ragazzo. (The boy's book / the book of the boy.) — not partitive
- Vorrei del ragazzo...? (This would be odd: context decides meaning.)

When do I use the partitive?

1) To express an indefinite amount of an uncountable (mass) noun:
- Voglio dell'acqua. (I want some water.)
- Ho comprato del pane. (I bought some bread.)

2) To indicate some, not all, with countable nouns (usually plural):
- Ho visto delle persone. (I saw some people.)
- Vuoi dei biscotti? (Do you want some cookies?)

3) To offer or request something in questions or offers:
- Vuoi del caffè? (Would you like some coffee?)

4) With adjectives: you can put an adjective after the partitive:
- Ho assaggiato del buon vino. (I tasted some good wine.)

Partitive vs generic statements

To talk about things in general (as a category), Italian usually uses the definite article (il, la, i, le), not the partitive:
- Il vino è buono. (Wine is good / Wine, in general, is good.) — generic statement
- Vorrei del vino. (I would like some wine.) — partitive: a portion, not the whole category

Alternatives: qualche, alcuni/alcune, un po' di, un paio di, measure expressions

Italian offers several alternatives to express "some / a few / a little." Choose based on countability and emphasis.

- qualche + singular noun (means "a few / some") — takes a singular verb:
- Ho qualche amico a Roma. (I have a few friends in Rome.)
- Qualche persona è arrivata tardi. (A few people arrived late.)

- alcuni / alcune + plural noun (means "some / several"):
- Alcuni studenti mancano oggi. (Some students are missing today.)
- Alcune signore sono già partite. (Some ladies have already left.)

- un po' di + noun (means "a bit of / some") — very common for uncountable quantities:
- Vorrei un po' di pane. (I'd like some bread.)
- Dammi un po' d'acqua. (Give me some water.)
- Un po' di studenti erano in ritardo. (A few students were late.) — colloquial

- un paio di + plural noun (means "a couple of"):
- Ho comprato un paio di libri. (I bought a couple of books.)

- Measure/unit expressions (a slice, a bottle, a glass): use unit + di + noun:
- Una fetta di torta. (A slice of cake.)
- Una bottiglia d'acqua. (A bottle of water.)
- Un bicchiere di vino. (A glass of wine.)

When to choose which
- For a small, unspecified amount of an uncountable noun: un po' di or del/della. (Vorrei un po' di acqua / Vorrei dell'acqua.)
- For a few countable items: qualche (singular noun) or alcuni/alcune (plural noun). (Qualche mela / Alcune mele)
- For part of the whole (some from the larger set) you can use the partitive del/della/dei/degli/delle.

Partitives in negative sentences, questions, and after certain verbs

- Negative sentences often drop the partitive (zero article):
- Positive: Ho dei soldi. (I have some money.)
- Negative: Non ho soldi. (I don't have any money.)

Using a partitive in the negative is possible but changes the meaning (it becomes specific):
- Non ho dei soldi. (I don't have the money [you mentioned / some particular money].)

- Questions/offers commonly use the partitive:
- Vuoi dei biscotti? (Do you want some cookies?) — an offer

- Some verbs require di and usually take a noun without a partitive when speaking generally:
- Ho bisogno di soldi. (I need money.) — general need (no partitive)
- Ho bisogno dei soldi che mi hai prestato. (I need the money that you lent me.) — specific money

Using the pronoun "ne" to replace partitives

"Ne" replaces "di + noun" phrases and usually means "some of it/them". It is extremely useful.

Position: "ne" is a clitic pronoun and goes before the verb (except in affirmative imperative, where it attaches to the verb).

Examples:
- Hai del pane? — Sì, ne ho. (Do you have any bread? — Yes, I have some.)
- Hai comprato delle mele? — Sì, ne ho comprate tre. (Did you buy some apples? — Yes, I bought three of them.)
- Parli di politica? — Sì, ne parlo spesso. (Do you talk about politics? — Yes, I talk about it often.)

Agreement in compound tenses
When "ne" replaces a direct object and you use a compound tense with avere (e.g., passato prossimo), the past participle agrees in gender and number with the noun that "ne" replaces:
- Hai comprato le mele? — Sì, ne ho comprate tre. (ne = le mele; past participle "comprate" agrees feminine plural)
- Hai visto i film? — Sì, ne ho visti due. (ne = i film; "visti" agrees masculine plural)

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

- Using the partitive where English would use the definite article for generic statements:
- Wrong: "Mi piace del vino." (This sounds odd.)
- Right: "Mi piace il vino." (I like wine / wine in general.)

- Forgetting that "qualche" takes a singular noun and verb:
- Wrong: Qualche amici sono venuti.
- Right: Qualche amico è venuto. / Alcuni amici sono venuti.

- Using partitive after a negative when you should use the zero article:
- Wrong: Non ho dei soldi. (Unless you mean a specific sum mentioned before.)
- Right: Non ho soldi. (I don't have any money.)

- Confusing "del/di + article" (partitive) with "del" meaning "of the" (possession): use context. Possessive meaning often uses the same form:
- Il gatto del vicino. (The neighbor's cat / the cat of the neighbor.) — possession, not "some"

- Forgetting agreement after "ne" in compound tenses: check gender and number of the replaced noun.

Comprehensive examples grouped by use

Partitive with mass nouns:
- Vorrei dell'acqua. (I'd like some water.)
- C'è del pane sul tavolo. (There is some bread on the table.)
- Ho comprato dello zucchero. (I bought some sugar.)

Partitive with countable nouns (plural):
- Ho visto delle persone che conoscevo. (I saw some people I knew.)
- Dammi dei vestiti puliti. (Give me some clean clothes.)

Questions/offers with partitive:
- Vuoi del vino? (Would you like some wine?)
- Prendi dei biscotti? (Are you taking any cookies?)

Alternatives:
- Qualche volta vado al cinema. (Sometimes / A few times I go to the cinema.)
- Ho qualche amico in città. (I have a few friends in the city.)
- Avrei bisogno di un po' di riposo. (I would need a bit of rest.)
- Prendi un paio di mele. (Take a couple of apples.)

Zero article after a negative or for general statements:
- Non ho tempo. (I don't have time.) — not "Non ho del tempo."
- I cani sono fedeli. (Dogs are loyal.) — generic, not "dei cani sono fedeli"

Using "ne":
- Hai delle arance? — Sì, ne ho. (Do you have any oranges? — Yes, I have some.)
- Hai assaggiato la torta? — Sì, ne ho mangiata una fetta. (Did you try the cake? — Yes, I ate a slice of it.)
- Quanti libri hai comprato? — Ne ho comprati tre. (How many books did you buy? — I bought three of them.)

Partitive + adjective:
- Ho preso del buon formaggio. (I took some good cheese.)
- Vorrei della vera mozzarella. (I'd like some real mozzarella.)

Examples showing contrast with definite article
- Mangio la mela. (I eat the apple — a specific apple.)
- Mangio una mela. (I eat an apple — one apple.)
- Mangio della mela. (I eat some of the apple.)
- Mangio mele. (I eat apples — apples in general.)

Quick reference (short rules to remember)

- Partitive = di + definite article (del, dello, della, dell', dei, degli, delle) → "some/any/part of."
- Use partitive for unspecified portions (some) of mass nouns and plural count nouns.
- Use qualche (singular form) or alcuni/alcune (plural) for "a few / some." Qualche takes singular verb.
- Use un po' di for "a bit of / some" (very common with uncountable nouns).
- After a negative, prefer the zero article (Non ho pane), unless you mean a specific subset.
- Use ne to replace "di + noun" (meaning "some of it/them"); check agreement of past participles when necessary.

Glossary

- Partitive article: a form that expresses an indefinite portion (some, any). In Italian it often looks like di + definite article (del, della, dei...).
- Mass (uncountable) noun: a noun that cannot be counted (acqua, pane, zucchero).
- Countable noun: a noun that can be counted (libri, mele).
- Zero article: omission of an article before a noun (Non ho soldi).
- Ne: a clitic pronoun that replaces phrases introduced by di, meaning "of it / of them / some of it/them." It typically precedes the verb and can cause past participle agreement.

Final tips

- Listen for the context: del/di + article can mean either "some" or "of the" — the rest of the sentence tells you which.
- If you want to say "a few," use qualche or alcuni/alcune depending on how formal and specific you want to be.
- When answering a question about quantity, practice using ne: it is very common and idiomatic.
- Watch agreement with "ne" in compound tenses.

This guide gives you the patterns and the common alternatives. Keep practising with short sentences: offers (Vuoi...?), requests (Puoi darmi...?), and short answers with ne — these situations are where the partitive appears most often.