The partitive: del, della, dei…
How to say “some” and “any” — and when to leave it out entirely.
di + article = some
To say “some” with countable or uncountable nouns, combine di with the definite article: del pane, dello zucchero, della pizza, dell'acqua, dei biscotti, degli spaghetti, delle mele.
- Vorrei del formaggio.I'd like some cheese.
- Ho comprato delle mele.I bought some apples.
Alternatives: un po' di, qualche, alcuni
Un po' di works with uncountables (un po' di latte). Qualche means “some” but always takes a singular noun (qualche libro = some books). Alcuni/alcune is plural (alcuni amici).
Leave it out in negatives and questions
In negative sentences, Italian usually drops the partitive: non ho pane. In questions it's optional: hai (del) latte?
Common mistakes
Qualche is always followed by a singular noun.
In negatives, the partitive is normally dropped (del pane isn't wrong, just less natural).
Test yourself
0 / 4 answered1. Vorrei ___ acqua.
2. Ho comprato qualche ___.
3. Mangio ___ spaghetti.
4. Non ho ___ tempo.