Question

French Tutorial: Partitive Articles

Answer 1

\({\bf{Partitive~Articles:}}\) are used before a measured (not counted) quantity. There is no exact translation to English but you can think of it as being similar to "any" or "some."

For example, "apples" are countable, so you would say la pomme, but "bread" is a measured noun, so would say du pain. (Unless, of course, you are talking about a specific type of bread, ex: J'aime le pain de cette boulangerie. = I like the bread from that bakery.)

The partitive article takes the forms: du, de la, d', de l', des depending on gender or number.

examples:
- Prenez-vous du sucre avec votre café? (Do you take sugar with your coffee?)
- Nous prenons des flocons d'avoine et des fruits pour le petit déjeuner. (We are having oatmeal and fruit for breakfast.)
- Il y a de la viande dans la soupe. (There is meat in the soup.)
- Apportez de l'eau pour la randonnée. (Please take some water for the hike.)

Answer 2

\({\bf{Uses:}}\) in addition to the above examples, the partitive article is used:

- for abstract ideas/concepts
ex: Avoir du courage. (Have courage.)

- expressions with faire and jouer
ex: Elle veut faire du medecin. (She wants to study medicine.)
Ils jouent du violon. (They are playing the violin.)

- expressions with avoir envie (to want) and avoir besoin (to need)
ex: J'ai envie plus de vêtements. (I want more clothes.)

- in negation
ex: Je n'ai rêvé de rien. (I did not dream about anything.)

- for modified, plural adjectives
ex: Je termine des tâches difficiles. (I finish difficult tasks.)

Answer 3

\({\bf{Shortened~Partitive~Form:}}\) There are certain situations where the partitive article changes from du/de la, etc. changes to either de or d'. These include:

- negation
ex: Je ne commande pas de fast-food. (I do not order fast-food.) note that it is not "du fast-food"
- quantitative expressions, like assez de (enough), beaucoup de (a lot), and measurements like a kilo, a pound of, etc. (un kilo de, une livre de...)
ex: J'ai acheté un kilo de viande. (I bought a kilo of meat.)

Answer 4

\({\bf{References:}}\)

Rochester, Myrna B. Easy French Step-by-Step, United States, McGraw-Hill Education, 2009, 189-193.

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/partitive-article/

CollinsDictionary for French and English translations

Forvo (https://forvo.com/), a French pronunciation database with samples from native French speakers