Use of "del"

Ciao a tutti, ho una domanda. I am confused about the use of the word del, specifically in the following sentences: 1. "noi portiamo del formaggio a Maria." - we take some cheese to Maria 2. "io prendo del tempo per pensare"- I take the time (for) to think. Also, to be clear, I know "del" can be used to mean "of", "of the", and "than" (when comparing things), but I am unsure why it is being used here

Good question. I'm going to watch for the answer. I've just memorized it for use in del vino and della birra - but I don't get the logic.

Ciao a tutti I'm not the best at explaining things, but I'll try. Di + the definite article (del, dello, della dell' dei, degli, delle) can also be used to mean "some". In your first example, "del formaggio" means "some cheese". In the sentence "Io prendo del tempo per pensare.", the phrase "del tempo" means "some time", so the sentence essentially means "I take some time to think." For another example, if I were to say "Ho degli amici." I would be saying "I have some friends." Therefore "del vino" and "della birra" mean "some wine" and "some beer" At least that is how I understand it. I hope this helps. I used to be confused by this also.

Hi there, Bravo Bryan. This is correct ! "Del/degli/della,etc." is mainly used to express "some". The examples above are all correct ! Let me know if something is not clear. Ciao