🔍 In short. Italian partitive articles (articolo partitivo) are di fused with the definite article: del, dello, dell’, della, dei, degli, delle. They mean “some” or “any”. In the singular they mark an unspecified amount of a mass noun (del pane = some bread, paraphrasable as un po’ di pane). In the plural they are simply the plural of un (un libro to dei libri, equivalent to alcuni libri). They are usually optional: bevo del tè and bevo tè are both correct, with a fine difference. You drop them in negatives and after senza, and you avoid them after di and da.

Get the italian partitive articles right and a small but constant piece of A2 Italian stops being a guess: how to say “some bread”, “a few friends”, “any water”. By the end you will form all seven, choose between the partitive and the bare noun, and know the three places where you must not use them.

What the italian partitive articles are

The italian partitive articles are nothing more than the preposition di welded to the definite article, the same fusion that gives you del libro or della casa. The difference is the job: here the combination does not mean “of the”, it means “some” or “any”. Del pane is “some bread”, delle mele is “some apples”.

There are two clean ideas to hold. In the singular, the partitive marks an unspecified amount of something you cannot count (del pane, dell’acqua). In the plural, it is simply the missing plural of un: Italian has no plural of un libro, so it borrows dei libri. Everything else about the italian partitive articles follows from those two ideas.

How to form the italian partitive articles: the seven shapes

Take di and merge it with the definite article exactly as you already do for del, dello, della, dei, degli, delle. The shape depends on the gender, number and first sound of the noun, the same rules as the definite article.

If you can already pick between il, lo, l’, la, i, gli, le, you can already form the italian partitive articles: just put di in front and fuse. No new selection rule to learn.

Singular: del means “un po’ di”

In the singular the partitive does for uncountable things what un does for countable ones: substances, food, abstract ideas. It marks an unspecified amount and can almost always be replaced by un po’ di (“a bit of”).

• Vorrei del pane, per favore.
  I would like some bread, please.
• C’è dell’acqua nella bottiglia.
  There is some water in the bottle.
• Caterina ha comprato dello zucchero al mercato.
  Caterina bought some sugar at the market.
• Ho ricevuto del denaro, cioè un po’ di denaro.
  I received some money, that is, a bit of money.

The singular of the italian partitive articles is not very frequent in speech, but it is always available and always understood. If un po’ di fits the meaning, the singular partitive is correct.

Plural: dei, degli, delle are the plural of un

This is where the italian partitive articles earn their keep. Italian has no plural of un: you cannot say uni libri. The plural partitive fills the gap, and it can be replaced by alcuni or alcune (“a few”).

• Ho un libro. to Ho dei libri.
  I have a book. to I have some books.
• Sono arrivati degli amici di Pietro da Modena.
  Some friends of Pietro arrived from Modena.
• Caterina ha portato delle mele e dei fiori.
  Caterina brought some apples and some flowers.
• Ho incontrato delle amiche, cioè alcune amiche.
  I met some friends, that is, a few friends.

Partitive or bare noun: bevo del tè vs bevo tè

The italian partitive articles have a quiet rival: the bare noun with no article at all. Both are correct, and the choice is partly regional (the north leans partitive, the south leans bare), but there is a real meaning difference. The bare noun names the concept; the partitive points at actual amounts.

• Bevo tè.
  I drink tea. (a habit, the concept of tea-drinking)
• Bevo del tè.
  I am drinking some tea. (an actual amount, right now)
• Dice bugie.
  He tells lies. (he is a liar, in general)
• Dice delle bugie.
  He is telling some lies. (specific lies, now)

One more push toward the partitive: when an adjective or a relative clause singles the noun out, Italian prefers a partitive article. Qui vendono birra (“they sell beer”, the activity) but qui vendono della birra ottima (“they sell some excellent beer”, a real kind). The italian partitive articles step in as soon as you describe the thing.

When you must not use the italian partitive articles

Three contexts where the italian partitive articles are wrong or strongly avoided, and the bare noun or alcuni takes over.

• Negatives. Non mangio pane. not non mangio del pane.
  I do not eat bread.
• After senza. Sono rimasta senza soldi. not senza dei soldi.
  I was left without money.
• After di and da. Ho bisogno di alcuni chiodi. not di dei chiodi.
  I need some nails. (use alcuni, never di + partitive)
• After other prepositions it is discouraged. Vado con alcuni colleghi reads better than con degli colleghi.
  I am going with some colleagues.

There is one nuance in negatives: if you are negating precisely the idea of “a certain quantity”, the partitive comes back, with stress. Non ho delle fidanzate, ho solo una fidanzata (“I do not have girlfriends plural, I have just one”). Outside that special emphasis, keep the bare noun after a negative.

Partitive article vs partitive complement

Do not confuse the italian partitive articles with the partitive complement, which also uses di but means “out of a group”. The article replaces un (“some, any”); the complement follows a quantity word and means “of them”.

• Ho comprato dei libri.
  I bought some books. (partitive article = the plural of un)
• Tre dei libri sono di Calvino.
  Three of the books are by Calvino. (partitive complement = out of the set)
• Un po’ dei tuoi soldi mi basterebbe.
  A bit of your money would be enough for me. (complement, after a quantity word)

Quick test: if the phrase answers “some what?”, it is the partitive article; if it answers “out of which group?”, it is the partitive complement. Only the first one is the topic of this guide on the italian partitive articles.

There is also a fronted cousin worth recognising. When you move a noun to the front for emphasis and echo it with the pronoun ne, Italian uses bare di + noun, not the full partitive: di ragazze ne conosceva tante (“girls, he knew so many”), ce ne sono in giro, di ladri (“there are thieves about”). This is not a different rule, just the partitive idea spread across the sentence; it pairs naturally with the italian partitive articles and with ne.

• Di mele ne ho raccolte tante quest’anno.
  Apples, I picked so many this year.
• Di amici a Padova ne ho pochi.
  Friends in Padua, I have few.

Read this fronted pattern as a stylistic option, common in speech, not as a replacement for the everyday italian partitive articles.

North, south and formal style: the register of the partitive

Beyond the rules, the italian partitive articles carry a register and a regional flavour worth hearing. Northern speakers reach for the partitive more readily; southern speakers lean on the bare noun. Both are standard Italian, so a learner who masters the partitive will sound natural in the north and perfectly understood everywhere.

Word order matters too. When the noun is the subject and sits before the verb, Italian strongly prefers the partitive: dei fiori gialli crescevano tra i binari (“yellow flowers were growing between the tracks”). The bare-noun version, fiori gialli crescevano tra i binari, is possible but reads as elevated, literary style. So the choice of the italian partitive articles also tells the listener something about how formal you are being.

• Del latte viene versato nel bicchiere.
  Some milk is poured into the glass. (subject before verb, partitive preferred)
• Dei turisti aspettavano davanti al duomo di Modena.
  Some tourists were waiting in front of the Modena cathedral.
• Vendono della birra che ho assaggiato ieri.
  They sell some beer that I tried yesterday. (a relative clause pulls the partitive in)

One practical takeaway: in writing and in careful speech, after prepositions other than the forbidden di and da, the partitive is still better replaced by alcuni. Ho parlato con alcuni colleghi beats con dei colleghi in a formal email, even though both are heard in conversation. The italian partitive articles are everyday tools; alcuni is the safer choice when the register rises.

Cheat sheet: italian partitive articles

The whole system on one card. Keep it open while you order at the market.

Common mistakes English speakers make with the italian partitive articles

• Stacking di + partitive. ❌ Ho bisogno di dei chiodi. ✅ Ho bisogno di alcuni chiodi.
• Partitive after a negative. ❌ Non ho dei soldi. ✅ Non ho soldi (unless you stress “not plural”).
• Wrong shape for the noun. ❌ del amici. ✅ degli amici (vowel, masculine plural).
• Treating it as compulsory. ❌ thinking dei fiori is required. ✅ vendo fiori is fine for the general activity.
• Forcing it after a preposition. ❌ con degli amici (clumsy). ✅ con alcuni amici.

For the fusion mechanics behind these forms, see our guide on Italian simple prepositions. For the pronoun that replaces a partitive, ci and ne in Italian. For the plural synonym, Italian alcuni and alcune. The institutional reference is the Accademia della Crusca note on preposition plus partitive article.

Dialog: at the Lucca market

Pietro shops at the Wednesday market in Lucca; Caterina runs the fruit-and-bread stall. Watch the italian partitive articles for “some”, and the bare noun where the partitive would be wrong.

Notice zucchero non ne vendo and sono rimasto senza soldi: bare noun, because the partitive is wrong after a negative and after senza. Everywhere else the italian partitive articles carry the “some”.

Test your understanding

The quiz below drills the italian partitive articles: the seven forms, partitive vs bare noun, and the three contexts where you must not use them. Take it after the cheat sheet.

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Frequently asked questions

Seven questions about the italian partitive articles come up in every A2 cohort. The answers draw on classroom usage and on the Accademia della Crusca note on preposition plus partitive.

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Related guides

Three guides that pair with the italian partitive articles, plus an institutional reference.

• Italian Simple Prepositions: the di + article fusion behind the forms.
• Ci and Ne in Italian: the pronoun ne that replaces a partitive.
• Italian Alcuni and Alcune: the synonym of the plural partitive.
• Accademia della Crusca: preposition plus partitive article: institutional note.