Partitive articles - French

Partitive articles are essential in French for talking about unspecified amounts of things, especially when discussing food and drink. They translate to "some" or "any" in English.

Using Partitive Articles

Singular Nouns

• For masculine singular nouns, use du.

  • Example: Je voudrais du pain. (I would like some bread.)

• For feminine singular nouns, use de la.

  • Example: Il boit de la soupe. (He drinks some soup.)

• If the noun begins with a vowel or a silent 'h', use de l'.

  • Example: Elle prend de l'eau. (She takes some water.)

Plural Nouns

• For plural nouns of either gender, use des.
  • Example: Nous avons des pommes. (We have some apples.)

Expressing Quantities

When discussing larger or specific quantities, use the structure <quantity> + de + noun.

This construction often omits the partitive article and uses "de" directly:

• assez de - enough of

  • Example: Il a assez de fromage. (He has enough cheese.)

• beaucoup de - a lot of

  • Example: Nous avons beaucoup de temps. (We have a lot of time.)

• moins de - less of

  • Example: Je voudrais moins de sucre. (I would like less sugar.)

• peu de - few/little of

  • Example: Elle mange peu de viande. (She eats little meat.)

• trop de - too much/many of

  • Example: Il y a trop de bruit. (There is too much noise.)

• un kilo de - a kilogram of

  • Example: J'achète un kilo de pommes. (I buy a kilogram of apples.)

• un morceau de - a piece of

  • Example: Il prend un morceau de gâteau. (He takes a piece of cake.)

• un verre de - a glass of

  • Example: Je bois un verre de lait. (I drink a glass of milk.)

• une bouteille de - a bottle of

  • Example: Elle apporte une bouteille de vin. (She brings a bottle of wine.)

• une tasse de - a cup of

  • Example: Il a une tasse de thé. (He has a cup of tea.)

• une livre de - a pound of

  • Example: J'aimerais une livre de fraises. (I would like a pound of strawberries.)

Other Expressions

• même - same

  • Example: C'est le même vin que hier. (It's the same wine as yesterday.)

• toute / toutes - all (feminine singular/plural)

  • Example: Il mange toute la pizza. (He eats all the pizza.)
  • Example: Elles prennent toutes les boissons. (They take all the drinks.)

• vraiment - really

  • Example: Il est vraiment bon. (It is really good.)

Using partitive articles and quantities correctly helps in expressing amounts accurately and elegantly in French. Understanding these structures is crucial for fluency in everyday conversations about food, drink, and other countable or uncountable nouns.