Partitive articles in Italian — Italian grammar A2

Partitive articles

Look at a conversation at the market. An Italian does not just say «pane, frutta, formaggio»: they insert «del / della / dei…». This is neither a mistake nor a decoration: it is the so-called partitive article (articolo partitivo), which means «some (indefinite) quantity of something». You need to learn deliberately when to add it and when (for example in negative sentences) it disappears.

‹ Italian grammar

Level: A2 · 18 min of study

Al mercato: «Vorrei del pane, della frutta e un po' di formaggio.» «Mi dispiace, oggi non ho pane, ma ho dei pomodori buonissimi!»

1. Che cos'è il partitivo? (di + articolo)

Read the sentences and look at the forms in bold. Can you see what they are made of? • Compro del pane. (= some bread) • Bevo dell'acqua. (= some water) • Mangio della frutta. (= some fruit) • Ho dei problemi. (= some problems) The pattern to discover: each of these forms is simply the preposition di + DEFINITE ARTICLE (il, lo, la, i, gli, le), fused into one word — exactly like the contracted prepositions (del = di + il). That is why the gender and number of the partitive MUST agree with the noun. The meaning is «a quantity, an unspecified part».

Ho comprato del vino per la cena.
C'è dello zucchero nel caffè.
Vorrei dell'acqua, per favore.

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