Vorrei del pane, per favore.
I would like some bread, please.
Pane names a mass amount here. Del makes the indefinite amount explicit; it does not tell the seller a weight or number.
Ask for some, or say exactly how much
Build on vorrei by distinguishing an unspecified amount from a counted or measured order. Work through bread, water and a small shopping list.
What you will be able to do
Use selected partitive forms with familiar nouns, replace an unspecified amount with a number or measure, and explain why the wording changes.
Lesson 2 of 2 in this Italian path.
Before you start
Complete the vorrei lesson first. Learn these noun groups as a set: il pane (bread, masculine singular), l’acqua (water, feminine singular), i panini (bread rolls, masculine plural), le arance (oranges, feminine plural). Due is two; un chilo is one kilogram.
How to use this lesson
- Decide whether you want an unspecified amount, a count, or a measured quantity.
- Match the noun to the examples before choosing del, dell’, dei or delle. Read the shopping-list transformation aloud or silently.
- Complete the four tasks without opening their answers. Then write a three-item list with one unspecified amount, one count and one measure.
Learn the pattern
An unspecified amount
The partitive can express an indefinite quantity. In these models, del pane means some bread and dell’acqua means some water. A plural can refer to an unspecified number: dei panini, some rolls; delle arance, some oranges. The choice follows the noun’s grammatical form, not the English word some.
Know the forms without treating them as mandatory
The forms are del, dello, dell’, della, dei, degli and delle. This lesson practises only the four noun groups above. Italian can also leave the article out in various contexts: Vorrei pane can be possible. The aim is to recognize and form an explicit partitive, not to insert one before every food word.
A number or measure gives a different kind of information
Compare dei panini with due panini: the second order specifies two rolls. A measure uses di plus the item in the model un chilo di arance. Do not mechanically keep delle after the measure. Counted, measured and indefinite orders are different choices, not corrections of one universally wrong form.
Worked examples
Vorrei dell’acqua.
I would like some water.
Acqua starts with a vowel, and the partitive has the elided form dell’. No bottle size or glass count has been specified.
Vorrei dei panini. Anzi, due panini.
I would like some rolls. Actually, two rolls.
Dei is indefinite; due supplies an exact count. Anzi introduces the correction or refinement here.
Vorrei un chilo di arance.
I would like a kilogram of oranges.
The measure is un chilo; di introduces what is being measured. This is different from delle arance, an unspecified number of oranges.
Build it step by step
- You arrive with a vague list: bread, rolls and oranges. Start with the request frame Vorrei, already learned in the previous lesson.
- For bread without a stated amount, use del pane. At this point the seller may still need to ask how much; the phrase alone does not specify it.
- You decide on two rolls. Replace the indefinite dei with due: Vorrei due panini.
- You decide on a kilogram of oranges. Build un chilo + di + arance: Vorrei un chilo di arance. End with per favore or grazie as appropriate. This is a written practice exchange, not a script predicting a seller’s exact reply.
Try it before looking
Write or say each answer first. Open the explanation to check the pattern, then close it and try again. These are self-checks; your answers are not stored by this page.
1. Use an explicit partitive: “I would like some water.” Choose del or dell’.
Show answer and explanation
Vorrei dell’acqua.
The vowel at the start of acqua calls for the elided form dell’ in this model.
2. Change Vorrei dei panini so that the order specifies exactly two rolls.
Show answer and explanation
Vorrei due panini.
Due replaces the indefinite dei and supplies the count. Vorrei still represents one speaker.
3. Use an explicit partitive for an unspecified number of oranges: Vorrei ___ arance.
Show answer and explanation
Vorrei delle arance.
Arance is feminine plural. The form used for this noun group is delle.
4. Build “I would like a kilogram of oranges” from vorrei / arance / un chilo / di.
Show answer and explanation
Vorrei un chilo di arance.
Put the measure before di and the item. You are stating a weight, not leaving the amount unspecified.
Keep and use the result
An explicit partitive leaves quantity unspecified. A number counts items; a measure introduces an amount with a phrase such as un chilo di. Learn the noun group and the quantity together.
Write del pane, due panini and un chilo di arance on a practice shopping list. Expand each into a vorrei request, then explain the amount in English without looking at the lesson. Further article patterns, prices and replies need their own practice; this unit does not teach the entire Italian article system.
Sources and scope
Grammar references checked October 28, 2026. Teaching examples and exercises are original. This is a focused learning unit, with no recorded audio or human teaching review claimed.