Italian Partitive Articles

In Italian grammar, the partitive article (articolo partitivo) is an indefinite article used to introduce an unknown amount:

Ho trovato dei fichi a poco prezzo.
I found some cheap figs.

A volte passo delle giornate impossibili.
Sometimes my days are impossible.

Vorrei delle mele, degli spinaci e dei pomodori.
I'd like apples, spinach, and tomatoes.

The partitive article is formed much like prepositional articles (preposizioni articolate) (di + articoli determinativi). Similar to prepositional articles, partitive articles vary depending on the gender, number, and the sound that follows. The partitive article gets its name from the fact that it normally indicates a part of a set or a whole, and is used in Romance languages ​​such as French and Italian.

NOTE: There are no fixed rules for the use of the partitive; sometimes the partitive sense is rendered by using qualche, alcuni, un po' di, and di, but can also be implied:

Berrei volentieri del vino.
I would gladly drink some wine.

Berrei volentieri un po' di vino.
I would gladly drink a bit of wine.

Berrei volentieri vino.
I would gladly drink wine.

A distinction is usually between use of the singular (less frequent) and plural (more common). The partitive singular indicates a quantity of an unidentified element considered as non-countable:

Vorrei del vino fruttato.
I would like some fruity wine

I viaggiatori presero della grappa a poco prezzo ed andarono via.
The travelers had some cheap grappa and left.

In the plural, however, the partitive indicates an undetermined quantity of a countable element:

Ho visto dei bambini.
I have seen children.

In this case, the partitive article is treated as a plural form of the indefinite article un or una. Some nouns, depending on the context, can be considered both as a number (prendo dei caffè) and as uncountable (prendo del caffè).

The use of the partitive has been targeted by purists since the nineteenth century. Still it is quite a widespread belief that it is a loan from the French language, although it has been shown that the partitive is attested from the Middle Ages in the most prestigious Italian literature.

It is true however that if the partitive in French is often irreplaceable, but in Italian can be omitted. For example, is often recommended the combination of a preposition and the partitive article (which does not always give good results), or its use combined with abstract words. The repetition of the partitive in long enumerations may be undesirable due to the continuous repetition of its various forms. On the other hand, the omission does not always provide the partitive truly satisfactory results:

Ho comprato del caffè veramente eccezionale.
I bought the truly exceptional coffee.

In the statement proposed as an example, you want to accompany the name with an adjective and create a characterization (in fact characterized a certain kind of coffee). Where it would be appropriate to omit it, the partitive case be replaced by terms at least from time to time vary depending on the context.

ARTICOLO PARTITIVO

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