Contents · A1
- The verb in the present tense
- Presenting and identifying
- Being able, wanting, having to; requests and orders
- The past and the near future
- Nouns and articles
- Quantity: the partitive and de
- Adjectives
- Pronouns and possessives
- Questions and negation
- Prepositions of place and time
- Adverbs of place and time
- Linking words
Tap a sentence to see its translation.
In English, a noun of quantity often has no word before it (“I drink milk”, “There are apples”). In French, an article is used, and its form depends on the meaning: an amount, a quantity, a negation or a thing in general.
The partitive article: du, de la, de l’#
Formation
The partitive article is du before a masculine noun, de la before a feminine noun, and de l’ before a vowel or a mute h. Before a plural noun, des is used.
| Masculine | Feminine | Before a vowel | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| du pain | de la soupe | de l’eau | des tomates |
Use
The partitive expresses an amount of something that is not counted: food, drinks, materials. It translates “some”, “any” or no word at all. It is used above all after manger, boire, acheter, prendre, vouloir and il y a.
- Je prends du sucre dans mon café.I take sugar in my coffee.
- Tu veux de la glace ?Do you want some ice cream?
- Il y a de l’eau sur la table.There is water on the table.
- Nous achetons des œufs au supermarché.We buy eggs at the supermarket.
Difference from English
The French article cannot be left out: “I eat bread” is je mange du pain. Le pain is bread in general or the bread already known; du pain is an amount of it. So J’aime le fromage (a taste, in general) but J’achète du fromage (an amount).
Common mistake
Je veux lait.→ Je veux du lait.An amount of something uncounted is preceded by the partitive.
Practise
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After a quantity or a negation: de, d’#
Formation
After an expression of quantity, beaucoup de, un peu de, trop de, assez de, combien de, the article is dropped and de alone comes before the noun, d’ before a vowel. After a negation, un, une, du, de la and des also become de.
- Ma sœur lit beaucoup de livres.My sister reads a lot of books.
- Je mets un peu de beurre.I put in a little butter.
- Mon fils mange trop de chocolat.My son eats too much chocolate.
- Je n’ai pas de vélo.I don’t have a bike.
- Il n’y a pas d’eau chaude.There is no hot water.
The article does not change after a negation in two cases: the definite article (Il ne connaît pas la ville) and an article after être (Ce n’est pas du lait, c’est de l’eau). Without a noun, the adverb is used alone: Elle travaille beaucoup.
Common mistakes
J’ai beaucoup des amis.→ J’ai beaucoup d’amis.After beaucoup, de alone is used, d’ before a vowel.Il n’y a pas du pain.→ Il n’y a pas de pain.After a negation, the partitive becomes de.
Practise
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Measures, containers and distances#
Formation
A measure, a container or a number is followed by de with no article: un kilo de pommes, une tasse de thé, un verre d’eau, moins de sucre, plus de lait. A distance is expressed with à + the number, then de: La gare est à deux kilomètres de l’hôtel.
What a dish contains or tastes of is expressed with à and the article, with the usual contractions: une glace au chocolat, une soupe à la tomate, une tarte aux pommes. A drink named after its fruit is formed with de: un jus d’orange.
- Je voudrais un kilo de tomates.I would like a kilo of tomatoes.
- Elle boit une tasse de lait chaud.She drinks a cup of hot milk.
- Le zoo est à dix kilomètres de la ville.The zoo is ten kilometres from the town.
- Un gâteau au chocolat, s’il vous plaît.A chocolate cake, please.
Common mistake
un verre du jus→ un verre de jusAfter a container, de is used with no article.
In short
| Meaning | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| an amount | du, de la, de l’, des | Nous achetons de l’huile. |
| a thing in general | le, la, l’, les | J’aime l’eau. |
| a quantity | beaucoup de, un peu de, trop de | beaucoup de sucre |
| a negation | pas de, pas d’ | pas de sucre |
| a measure | un kilo de, une tasse de | une tasse de thé |
| a distance | à + number + de | à deux kilomètres de la gare |
Practise
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