The French partitive articles are du, de la, de l', and des, which sometimes become de or d'. They are used before a noun to help you express quantity. There is no strict equivalent to these words in English, but sometimes they are translated as “some.” Unlike in English, in French you will need an article before a noun 99 percent of the time. When using the partitive articles, keep in mind the following:
Du, de l', de la, de l' and des designate an uncertain quantity or things that cannot be quantified like air, coffee, or jam.
De is used with expressions of a specific quantity, negation, or with generalities introduced by a verb followed by de.
Je veux bien du café.Translation: I’d gladly have some coffee.Je mange des pâtes mais pas de riz.Translation: I eat pasta but not rice.J’ai beaucoup de travail.Translation: I have a lot of work.J’ai besoin de temps.Translation: I need time.
In this post, we’ll review when to use partitive articles with undefined quantities, weather, and activities, as well as the differences between de and du, de la, de l' and des. Keep reading to find out more!
When to use partitive articles in French?
Use the partitive articles du, de la, de l', des, and de when talking about undefined quantities of things, the weather, or activities. These “partitive articles” are used in addition to the French indefinite and definite articles. This use of articles in French is different from in English. Let’s take a look at cases which require a partitive article.
How to use partitive articles with undefined quantities in French?
Use French partitive articles when talking about undefined quantities. In English, you would use “some” or nothing at all.
| French partitive articles | Examples |
|---|---|
du (de + le) + masculine noun | du fromage Translation: cheese |
de la + feminine noun | de la confiture Translation: jam |
de l' + masc. or fem. noun starting with a vowel or mute h | de l'eau Translation: water |
des+ plural noun (masculine or feminine) | des papiers Translation: papers |
de + adjective + noun | de belles chaussures Translation: nice shoes |
How to use partitive articles with the weather in French?
Partitive articles are used to talk about the weather in French. When describing the weather with il y a, you'll use a partitive article before the noun:
How to use partitive articles with activities in French?
You’ll also use partitive articles to talk about disciplines such as sports, music, and school subjects, where in English you’ll use “the” or nothing:
What is the difference between ‘de’ and ‘du,’ ‘de la,’ ‘des’ in French?
The difference between de and the partitive articles du, de la, and des is that de is used after a specific quantity (like "of" in English) and it is also used with a negative quantity, which would be "not any" in English. The great thing about when you determine a quantity with de is that you don’t need to know if what you are talking about is masculine or feminine!
How to use ‘de’ with quantities in French?
De is used with quantities in French. Below is a list of some frequently used quantity expressions that are followed by de:
un peu de Translation: a (little) bit of un soupçon de Translation: a dash of beaucoup de Translation: a lot of assez de Translation: enough trop de Translation: too much of | 100g de Translation: 100g of une cuillère à café de Translation: a teaspoon of un paquet de Translation: a packet of une douzaine de Translation: a dozen of un morceau de Translation: a piece of | pas de Translation: not any plus de Translation: not anymore of jamais de Translation: never any |
How to use ‘de’ with negation in French?
De is also used with negation in French; du, de la, and des turn into de after a negation phrase:
| Partitive articles | Affirmative | Negative |
|---|---|---|
du → pas de | Tu veux du café ? Translation: Do you want some coffee? | Tu ne veux pas de café ? Translation: Don’t you want some coffee? |
de la → pas de | Je mange de la confiture. Translation: I eat jam. | Je ne mange pas de confiture. Translation: I don’t eat jam. |
des → pas de | Je fais des gâteaux. Translation: I make cakes. | Je ne fais pas de gâteaux. Translation: I don’t make cakes. |
How to use the French partitive articles with the preposition ‘de’ and possession?
The partitive articles in French can also be used alongside the preposition de and to indicate possession. Let’s take a look at both situations!
How to use French partitive articles with the preposition ‘de’?
Partitive articles can be used with the preposition de, which can sometimes also be the plural form of d'un, d'une when you refer to something in general. Again, de becomes d' in front of a vowel or a mute h.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
Ils rêvent d’un pays exotique. Translation: They dream of an exotic country. | Ils rêvent de pays exotiques. Translation: They dream of exotic countries. |
Elle parle d’un article. Translation: She talks about an article. | Elle parle d’articles. Translation: She talks about articles. |
How to use French partitive articles with possession?
The partitive articles du, de la, de l', des, and de can also be used to indicate possession. A way to determine which article to use is to see if the noun introduced by de is specific or general. Here, de means "of."
| Example with du, de la, de l', des | Example with de |
|---|---|
Où est-ce que j’ai mis les clés de la voiture ? Translation: Where did I put the keys of the car? | Où est-ce que j’ai mis mes clés de voiture ? Translation: Where did I put the car keys? |
Voici un plan des métros de Paris. Translation: Here is a metro map of Paris. | Voici un plan de métro. Translation: Here is a metro map. |
In brief: Tips to understand French partitive articles!
When using partitive articles in French, keep the following tips in mind:
In French, always (99 percent of the time) use an article! So, don’t say Je bois café, but Je bois du café! meaning I drink coffee!
Partitive articles don’t really exist in English, so practice a lot to get familiar with this new concept.
Du, de la, de l', and des are used as "some" to express an undefined quantity.
❌ pas du, ❌ pas de la, ❌ pas de l', ❌ pas des → ✅ pas de
When you don’t know if a noun is masculine or feminine, use a quantity and you’ll avoid the issue!
Je veux ? lait → Je veux un peu de lait. meaning I want a bit of milk.
Practice the French partitive articles with some activities!
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