Italian Partitive Articles (del, della, dei, degli, delle): A Practical Guide

If you’ve learned that del means “of the”, you’re only halfway there.

In real Italian, del / della / dei / degli / delle often work like English some or any:

• Vorrei del pane. — I’d like some bread.
• Abbiamo dei problemi. — We have some problems.
• Hai delle domande? — Do you have any questions?

Table of contents

• What partitive articles mean
• All forms (del/dello/della/dei/degli/delle)
• When Italians use them (and when they don’t)
• Partitive vs “di + article” (true “of the”)
• Negatives: any vs none
• Common mistakes (and quick fixes)
• Drills + answer key

What partitive articles mean

Partitive articles express an unspecified quantity of something. Think:

• some water, bread, cheese
• some friends, problems, ideas
• any questions? (in questions/negatives)

They’re extremely common in:

• food and shopping: del formaggio, delle mele
• abstract nouns: delle informazioni, dei consigli
• work/school talk: dei dubbi, delle proposte

All forms (the partitive “cheat sheet”)

Partitives are built from di + the definite article, then contracted:

Partitive article di + articolo (some / any)
Type	Definite article	Partitive	Example
Masculine singular	il	del	del pane (some bread)
Masculine singular	lo	dello	dello zucchero (some sugar)
Masculine singular	l’	dell’	dell’olio (some oil)
Feminine singular	la	della	della pasta (some pasta)
Feminine singular	l’	dell’	dell’acqua (some water)
Masculine plural	i	dei	dei libri (some books)
Masculine plural	gli	degli	degli amici (some friends)
Feminine plural	le	delle	delle mele (some apples)

Shortcut: if you know the definite articles (il/lo/l’, la/l’, i/gli, le), you can build the correct partitive instantly.

When Italians use them (and when they don’t)

1) Use partitives for “some/any” with uncountable nouns

• Vorrei del caffè. — I’d like some coffee.
• Bevi dell’acqua. — Drink some water.
• Abbiamo bisogno di dell’aiuto? — Do we need some help?

Note: In everyday speech, Italians often simplify and say Ho bisogno di aiuto (without the partitive). Both are common; context decides what sounds natural.

2) Use partitives for plural “some” (like “a few / some”)

• Ho comprato delle fragole. — I bought some strawberries.
• Ci sono dei problemi. — There are some problems.
• Mi servono degli esempi. — I need some examples.

3) When partitives are commonly omitted

Italian can drop the partitive in places where English would still say “some”. The omission often feels more neutral or more “list-like”:

• Compro pane, latte e uova. — I’m buying bread, milk, and eggs.
• Bevo acqua. — I drink water.
• Cerco lavoro. — I’m looking for work.

Rule of thumb: if you’re talking about something in general, omission is frequent. If you’re asking for or requesting a portion, the partitive sounds more natural.

Partitive vs “di + article” (true “of the”)

This is the big confusion: partitives look identical to di + definite article, but the meaning depends on the sentence.

“Some/any” (partitive)

• Vorrei del vino. — I’d like some wine.
• Hai delle domande? — Do you have any questions?

“Of the” (specific)

• Il colore del vino è rosso. — The color of the wine is red. (specific wine)
• La copertina del libro è rovinata. — The cover of the book is damaged.

Quick test: if you can replace it with “some” and the sentence still makes sense, it’s a partitive. If not, it’s “of the”.

Negatives: “any” vs “none”

In negative sentences, Italian often uses non… + partitive to mean “not any”:

• Non ho del tempo oggi. — I don’t have any time today.
• Non abbiamo delle informazioni. — We don’t have any information.

But you’ll also hear alternatives that are extremely common (and often more idiomatic):

• Non ho tempo. — I don’t have time.
• Non ho nessun dubbio. — I have no doubt / I don’t have any doubts.
• Non ho alcuna voglia. — I have no desire at all. (formal/emphatic)

Practical advice: learn non ho tempo as a fixed, high-frequency chunk. Use partitives in negatives when you want the “any” feeling, but don’t force them everywhere.

Common mistakes (and quick fixes)

Mistake 1: Using di alone

❌ Vorrei di pane.

✅ Vorrei del pane. / ✅ Vorrei un po’ di pane.

If you want “some” and it’s not a measured quantity, you usually need del/della… or un po’ di.

Mistake 2: Using un with an uncountable noun when you mean “some”

❌ Vorrei un pane. (sounds like “one loaf/bread item”)

✅ Vorrei del pane. (some bread)

Mistake 3: Choosing the wrong plural form

• dei is the default masculine plural (dei libri)
• degli is for masculine plural with gli (degli amici, degli studenti)
• delle is for feminine plural (delle idee)

Drills + answer key

Drill 1: choose the right partitive

1. Vorrei ___ acqua. (dell’ / della)
2. Hai ___ amici a Roma? (dei / degli)
3. Compriamo ___ pasta. (del / della)
4. Mi servono ___ esempi. (dei / degli)
5. Vorrei ___ zucchero nel caffè. (dello / del)

Drill 2: partitive or “of the”?

1. Il prezzo del vino è alto. → (some / of the?)
2. Bevo del vino a cena. → (some / of the?)
3. La porta del bagno è chiusa. → (some / of the?)
4. Abbiamo delle idee nuove. → (some / of the?)

Answer key

Drill 1: 1) dell’ 2) degli 3) della 4) degli 5) dello

Drill 2: 1) of the 2) some 3) of the 4) some

Once partitives click, you’ll stop translating word-by-word and start choosing what Italians actually say. And that’s the real win.