Question
Updated on
18 Apr 2019
- English (US)
-
Italian
Question about Italian
Please show me example sentences with some (delle, dei, etc) . Tell me as many daily expressions as possible.
Please show me example sentences with some (delle, dei, etc) . Tell me as many daily expressions as possible.
if I'm asking I have cookies in my pockets, would there a need for "dei" in Italian.
"ho dei biscotti in tasca"
or..
"ho i biscotti in tasca"
Would the word "dei" mean:
I have [SOME] cookies in my pockets
"ho dei biscotti in tasca"
or..
"ho i biscotti in tasca"
Would the word "dei" mean:
I have [SOME] cookies in my pockets
Answers
19 Apr 2019
Featured answer
- Italian
Yes!
Del, dei, delle, della, dello mean SOME.
Ho del formaggio
I have some cheese
Ho dei libri
I have some books
Ci sono delle torte
There are some cakes
But don’t be confused with Dei, delle, di... that mean OF
L’amica DEI miei genitori
The friend OF my parents
Il libro di Tom
The Tom’S book / The book OF Tom
I hope you get it! 😄
Read more comments
- Italian
Hai fame? Ho dei biscotti in tasca. Ne vuoi un po'? Ho anche del latte se vuoi ammorbidirli, ne tengo sempre un poco nell'altra tasca.
- Italian
- Afrikaans
- English (UK)
- English (US)
@Ricky13 grazie tantissimo! do I need "dei"? I thought "dei" means "some"..
Would that translate to I have [some] cookies?
or..
Is "dei" needed here anyway even though I'm talking about cookies:
I have cookies in my pockets.
Would that translate to I have [some] cookies?
or..
Is "dei" needed here anyway even though I'm talking about cookies:
I have cookies in my pockets.
- Italian
Yes!
Del, dei, delle, della, dello mean SOME.
Ho del formaggio
I have some cheese
Ho dei libri
I have some books
Ci sono delle torte
There are some cakes
But don’t be confused with Dei, delle, di... that mean OF
L’amica DEI miei genitori
The friend OF my parents
Il libro di Tom
The Tom’S book / The book OF Tom
I hope you get it! 😄
- English (US)
- Italian
- English (US)
@toommyyy so, "Ho dei biscotti in tasca." becomes "ho biscotti nelle mie tasche"?
I don't use "dei" in this case?
For me learning, the second makes sense (though what matters is what's right and natural in Italian of course), which is why I was confused about "dei":
At first, I thought it was just "of the":
di + i = dei (plural)
Then, I realize that it can also mean "some" - which was my confusion in my original question. As a beginner, I was going more towards "ho i biscotti nelle mie tasche" - which you kindly corrected my initial thought.
But, why do we not use "dei" anymore in the last example you gave me?
It's a bit confusing since it can mean either "some" and/or "of". But, the original sentence is:
I have cookies in my pockets.
1. Ho dei biscotti in tasca.
2. Ho biscotti nelle mie tasche.
Which one would be the most accurate based on the original sentence?
In the Italian example #1, I don't see where there's "some", or where's the "of".
I thank you in advance @toommyyy !
I don't use "dei" in this case?
For me learning, the second makes sense (though what matters is what's right and natural in Italian of course), which is why I was confused about "dei":
At first, I thought it was just "of the":
di + i = dei (plural)
Then, I realize that it can also mean "some" - which was my confusion in my original question. As a beginner, I was going more towards "ho i biscotti nelle mie tasche" - which you kindly corrected my initial thought.
But, why do we not use "dei" anymore in the last example you gave me?
It's a bit confusing since it can mean either "some" and/or "of". But, the original sentence is:
I have cookies in my pockets.
1. Ho dei biscotti in tasca.
2. Ho biscotti nelle mie tasche.
Which one would be the most accurate based on the original sentence?
In the Italian example #1, I don't see where there's "some", or where's the "of".
I thank you in advance @toommyyy !
- Italian
@gioglifx @gioglifx
I have cookies in my pocketS = Ho biscotti nelle mie tasche
II have cookies in my pocket = Ho biscotti in tasca
I have SOME cookies in my pocketS = Ho dei biscotti nelle mie tasche
But “I have cookies in my pockets” can also be translated as “Ho DEI biscotti nelle (mie) tasche”, even though there isn’t SOME.
Like, “I have cookies in my pockets” could also be “I have SOME cookies in my pockets” That’s the same meaning, right?
Another thing, DI, DEI, DELLE, DEL... all of these are called PARTITIVE ARTICLES. They are translated with “SOME”
Ex: Ci sono DEI biscotti sul tavolo = There are (some) cookies on the table
DI, DEI, DEL... can also mean OF or ‘S and it’s called “English possessive” or “Saxon Genitive”
Ex: La macchina DI John = John’S car
Ex: Questo è il giorno più bello DELLA mia vita = This is the best day OF my life
I hope I was clear in the explanation. If not, ask me! :) @gioglifx
- English (US)
@toommyyy Sei grande!
That makes sense, so the real question now is:
Which one would be the MOST natural way to say it out the 2 ways...
1. Ho biscotti nelle mie tasche
...or
2. Ho biscotti dei biscotti nelle mie tasche
Mi sembra that they can be used either way, but I would imagine one would be used mostly and more naturally over the other when saying "I have cookies in my pockets".
That explanation you provided was much appreciated and I thank you for having taken the time to break it down.
That makes sense, so the real question now is:
Which one would be the MOST natural way to say it out the 2 ways...
1. Ho biscotti nelle mie tasche
...or
2. Ho biscotti dei biscotti nelle mie tasche
Mi sembra that they can be used either way, but I would imagine one would be used mostly and more naturally over the other when saying "I have cookies in my pockets".
That explanation you provided was much appreciated and I thank you for having taken the time to break it down.
- Italian
@gioglifx The most used one is “Ho dei biscotti nelle tasche.
You have to remove “mie” because it’s implied that the pockets are yours.
In some rare cases, you can remove the partitive article (in this case “delle”); when you don’t know if to keep it or not, keep it. In most the cases you need to use the partitive article, in some rare cases you can use both.
You’re welcome! 😄
- English (US)
- Italian

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