Partitive Articles & Expressions of Quantity

📌 Nota grammaticale

To express an unspecified quantity of an uncountable noun (like water, bread, or milk), Italian uses the preposition 'di' combined with the definite article (di + il = del, di + lo = dello, di + la = della). Use 'del' for masculine singular nouns starting with a consonant, 'dello' for masculine nouns starting with s+consonant, z, or y, and 'della' for feminine nouns starting with a consonant.

📌 Nota grammaticale

When an uncountable noun begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), both masculine and feminine singular partitive articles ('del', 'dello', 'della') drop their final vowel and take an apostrophe, becoming 'dell'.

📌 Nota grammaticale

To express 'some' with plural countable nouns, Italian uses plural partitive articles: 'dei' (masculine standard plural), 'degli' (masculine plural for nouns starting with s+consonant, z, or vowel), and 'delle' (feminine plural). This is equivalent to 'alcuni' or 'un po' di' in many contexts.

📌 Nota grammaticale

'Un po' di' is an extremely common expression of quantity used with uncountable nouns. Note that 'po'' is short for 'poco' and requires an apostrophe, not an accent. When followed by a noun starting with a consonant, use 'di'; when followed by a vowel, it often contracts to 'un po' d''.

📌 Nota grammaticale

Expressions of quantity involving container or measurement nouns are followed directly by 'di' (without a definite article). For example: un chilo di, un litro di, una bottiglia di, una fetta di, un bicchiere di. The preposition 'di' does not change even if the following noun is feminine or plural.

📌 Nota grammaticale

'Molto' acts as an adjective when modifying a noun, meaning it must agree in gender and number with that noun: 'molto' (masc. sing.), 'molta' (fem. sing.), 'molti' (masc. plur.), 'molte' (fem. plur.). No preposition 'di' is required when 'molto' directly precedes the noun.

📌 Nota grammaticale

Like 'molto', 'poco' functions as an adjective indicating a small quantity and must agree in gender and number with the noun it modifies: 'poco tempo' (masc. sing.), 'poca acqua' (fem. sing.), 'pochi soldi' (masc. plur.), 'poche persone' (fem. plur.).

📌 Nota grammaticale

'Tanto' is used similarly to 'molto' to mean 'so much' or 'a lot of'. It also agrees fully in gender and number with the noun it accompanies: 'tanto lavoro' (masc. sing.), 'tanta pazienza' (fem. sing.), 'tanti regali' (masc. plur.), 'tante cose' (fem. plur.).

📌 Nota grammaticale

'Troppo' indicates excess. As an adjective modifying a noun, it changes its ending to match the noun's gender and number: 'troppo sale' (masc. sing.), 'troppa carne' (fem. sing.), 'troppi impegni' (masc. plur.), 'troppe domande' (fem. plur.).

📌 Nota grammaticale

'Tutto' expresses totality. When followed by a definite article and a noun, it means 'all of' or 'the whole' (e.g., tutto il giorno = the whole day). It agrees in gender and number: tutto, tutta, tutti, tutte.

📌 Nota grammaticale

'Alcuni' (masculine) and 'alcune' (feminine) are adjectives meaning 'some' or 'several'. They are used exclusively with plural countable nouns. Unlike partitive articles ('dei', 'delle'), 'alcuni/alcune' carries a slightly stronger sense of 'several distinct items'.

📌 Nota grammaticale

To express zero quantity in the singular, Italian uses 'nessuno' (which truncates to 'nessun' before masculine nouns starting with a vowel or standard consonants, just like 'un'). Feminine uses 'nessuna'. These normally require a negative verb structure ('non... nessuno').