Last week we looked at the singular indefinite article [“a” in English] un, uno, una or un’.
Now we need to look at how to say “of the” or “some”. This is where some Italian learners give up because they think it is very difficult but it is not difficult if you know how to say “the”.
This table tell you how to say “some” by referring to the definite article [“the”]:
The Of the / Some Example
[il --> del] del pollo – some chicken
[lo --> dello] dello speck – some speck
[l’ [masc]--> dell’] dell’agnello – some lamb
[la --> della] della frutta – some fruit
[l’ [fem] --> dell’] dell’aragosta – some lobster
[i --> dei] dei pomodori – some tomatoes
[gli --> degli] degli spinaci – some spinach
[le --> delle] delle arance - some oranges
You are most likely to use this when asking for some items, so you can say,
Vorrei – "I would like" plus "some" plus items
Vorrei delle arance – I’d like some oranges
These forms are also used to indicate possession, where we would use an apostrophe in English:
Il libro del ragazzo – the boy’s book
Now see if you can put in the right form of “of the “or “some” in this exercise:
Vorrei _____ pomodori.
Ha ______ patate?
_____ banane, per favore.
_____ limoni, per favore.
Vorrei _____ scampi.
I libri ____ ragazzi.
La casa ____ signora.
La camera _____ zio.
Vorrei ____ vino.
Il fidanzato _____ amica.
Now the good news: with expressions of quantity, we just use di:
Un chilo di mele – a kilo of apples
Un po’ di formaggio – a little cheese
Un chilo di – a kilo of
Un mezzo chilo di – a half kilo of
Un etto di – 100 grams of
Un litro di – a litre of
Un pizzico di - a pinch of
Un bicchiere di - a glass of
Una bottiglia di – a bottle of
Una tazza di – a cup of
Un pezzo di – a piece of
Una fetta di – a slice of
Un po’ di – a little of
