How to say “Some” in Italian
In Italian, the word “some” can be translated in several ways depending on both the grammatical and semantic context. By grammatical context I mean the gender and number of the noun it accompanies, while by semantic context I mean the purpose it is used for.
Here are the common translations and corresponding uses:
- Alcuni/Alcune – used for countable nouns.
- Alcuni (masculine plural): Alcuni libri (Some books)
- Alcune (feminine plural): Alcune case (Some houses)
- Del, Dello, Della, Dei, Degli, Delle – used for both countable and uncountable nouns (these are also called partitive articles).
- Del (masculine singular, used before vowels and most consonants): Del pane (Some bread)
- Dello (masculine singular, used before s + consonant, z, x, pn, ps, gn, or i + vowel): Dello zucchero (Some sugar)
- Della (feminine singular): Della frutta (Some fruit)
- Dei (masculine plural): Dei libri (Some books)
- Degli (masculine plural, used before vowels, s + consonant, z, x, pn, ps, gn, or i + vowel): Degli amici (Some friends)
- Delle (feminine plural): Delle mele (Some apples)
- Qualche – always followed by singular nouns but it implies a plural meaning.
- Qualche (always singular): Qualche giorno (Some days)
- Un po’ di – used for both countable and uncountable nouns.
- Un po’ di (used with both masculine and feminine nouns): Un po’ di acqua (Some water), Un po’ di pazienza (Some patience)
Notice that “un po’ di” is written with the apostrophe, not an accent! This is because it is an abbreviation for “poco“.
“Some” in Italian
How to use “Some”
An important detail to keep in mind is the use of all the possible translations “some” has in Italian. Each form is chosen based on the gender and number of the noun it modifies, as well as the amount you need to refer to.
However, as a rule of thumb, if you are referring to countable nouns you can use all possible forms, while if you are referring to uncountable nouns you can use either a partitive article or the structure “un po’ di”.
I will write here some examples to show you the versatility of these forms:
Ho comprato alcuni libri.
Ho comprato dei libri.
Ho comprato qualche libro.
Ho comprato un po’ di libri.
I bought some books.
Voglio mangiare della frutta.
Voglio mangiare un po’ di frutta.
I want to eat some fruit.
“Some” as Partitive Article
The partitive article in Italian is formed by the preposition di combined with the definite articles which, of course, vary depending the gender and number of the noun.
Let’s have a look at this in more detail:
- di + il: del
- di + lo: dello (before z, gn, ps, pn, or y)
- di + la: della
- di + l’: dell’ (before a vowel)
- di + i: dei
- di + gli: degli (before a vowel, z, gn, ps, pn, or y)
- di + le: delle
Here are some examples of the use of “some” as partitive article.
Mi puo portare del sale?
Can you bring me some salt?
Vuoi dell’acqua?
Do you want some water?
Vorrei dello zucchero.
I’d like some sugar.
Anna va al cinema con delle compagne di scuola.
Anna is going to the cinema with some friends from school.
Stasera esco con degli amici.
Tonight, I’m going out with some friends.
Special Forms of “Qualche”
Qualche has a specific construction when used together with cosa (thing) and uno (one, meant as a person). These expressions are used to refer to unspecified quantities of objects or concepts, and people.
- Qualcosa: it means “something” and is used for referring to an unspecified object or matter, usually not directly countable. Example:
Qualcosa di interessante.
Something interesting.
- Qualcuno: it means “someone” and refers to an unspecified person. Although not very common, this expression can vary and become qualcuna when specifically referring to a female individual in a group of female people. Example:
Qualcuno ha chiamato?
Did someone call?
Example for feminine:
Qualcuna sa la risposta?
Does some girl know the answer?
Some New Italian Skills
I know what you are thinking: there are too many Italian translation for the same English word! And I must confess that you are right!
However, there is nothing you cannot achieve without practice. Understanding its variations will surely enhance your Italian vocabulary and improve your ability to engage more naturally in everyday conversations.
