French Partitive Articles: When to Use Du, De La, and Des

No matter how motivated, most language learners don’t look forward to grammar lessons. Grammar can often be confusing or frustrating, and if you’re learning French on your own, it can be hard to know where to turn when you have questions. Unfortunately, grammar is a necessary evil when it comes to mastering a foreign language, and some aspects come up early on.

The topic of partitive articles is usually one topic that appears relatively early on, but if you’ve been studying French for a while and haven’t heard of them, don’t worry. Today, we’ll cover partitive articles in a way that’s accessible for French learners at all stages.

What Are Partitive Articles?

Partitive articles are common in most languages, but every language has a different way of forming them. Depending on your native language or what other languages you already know, learning and understanding French partitive articles may be similar or it may be completely different.

In English, partitive articles are “some” and “any”. Another one is known as article zero which simply means that there isn’t an article at all. Here is an example for each case:

I ate some bread.
Do you have any bread?
She ate bread.

Notice how number three doesn’t have an article between the verb (ate) and the object (bread)? That’s an example of article zero in English. It is also a partitive article.

In French, there is no such thing as article zero. Partitive articles will have a presence in the sentence if they are used. As in English, their use is to say “some” or “any”. Partitive articles are also used for uncountable nouns (such as “chocolate” or “money”) or if there is an unknown amount of something.

Since French is a gendered language, the partitive articles must agree in gender with the noun they are attached to. They must also agree in number; that is, singular or plural. This is just one of many reasons why you should always learn the gender of nouns in French. Gender forms the base for every grammar rule in French and is a vital part of learning the language.

Why Should You Know How to Use French Partitive Articles?

Okay, so partitive articles exist in French. What now? Why bother learning how to use and form them?

Partitive articles are extremely common. You may not notice them in your native language, but you would notice if they were wrong or missing. The same thing is true in French. If you don’t know how to use partitive articles, sentences may sound weird or be incorrect. In some cases, the lack of partitive articles can change the meaning of a sentence. Here’s an example in English:

I ate some bread.
I ate the bread.

In the second sentence, the speaker is talking about something specific. Maybe there was a loaf of bread that was supposed to be a gift, but the speaker ate it. While the change in meaning isn’t astronomical, it does have an effect on what the listener understands.

Another reason partitive articles are important is because some verbs will require them frequently. Verbs like manger, boire, jouer (+ an instrument), avoir, and prendre will often use partitive articles. When it comes to eating, drinking, or ordering something, you will almost always use partitive articles. Since this is an especially common occurrence, here are some food flashcards with the corresponding partitive article that you can study.

Finally, partitive articles will appear in every conversation you have in French. Even if it’s just a short exchange, the odds of encountering a partitive article at least once are very high. Since you likely want to be able to understand what someone is saying, knowing what these little words mean will help alleviate some stress. When it comes time for you to speak, using partitive articles naturally will also help you sound more fluent in French.

How to Make and Use French Partitive Articles

As mentioned above, French partitive articles must correspond in gender and number. This means that they will vary depending on the noun they are associated with, so you can’t simply memorize one word and use it every time. Luckily, the formula isn’t very hard and if you’ve memorized the gender of French nouns, it will be easy to think of on the fly.

The main characteristic of partitive articles in French is that they use de. No matter which noun you use, de will always be present in partitive articles. From there, you simply need to remember which definite article belongs with the noun according to its gender and combine it with de like so:

feminine: de + la = de la
masculine: de + le = du
contracted: de + l’ = de l’
plural: de + les = des

The contracted form is for nouns that begin with a vowel or a mute “h”. The plural form is the same regardless of gender. If a noun is neither plural nor begins with a vowel or a mute “h”, you will either use de la or du depending on the noun’s gender. Here are some examples:

la serviette > de la serviette
le pain > du pain
l’air > de l’air
les fleurs > des fleurs

And that’s it! That’s all you need to know in order to form French partitive articles. It’s really as simple as that.

A Note on Negation

As you may know, French negation always uses de. When it comes to a negative sentence, however, you do not use partitive articles. Simply keep the de as it is and add the noun afterward. Turning a negative de into a partitive article is incorrect.

Test Your New Knowledge

Now that you’ve learned a new French grammar point, it’s time to test your skills. If you want a refresher or you do better with video explanations, check out this video on partitive articles to further solidify your understanding. If you feel like you have a good understanding already, then take a look at the sentences below.

Here, you’ll find eight questions with a missing article. Fill in the blank with the correct article and then check your answers at the end.

J’ai mangé _____ pain
Elle n’as pas _____ argent
Nous avons _____ poulets
Ils mangent _____ gâteau
Tu bois _____ eau
Je prends _____ photos
Il joue _____ piano
Vous mangez _____ soupe

Answers:

J’ai mangé du pain
Elle n’as pas d’ argent
Nous avons des poulets
Ils mangent du gâteau
*Tu bois **de l’*eau
Je prends des photos
Il joue du piano
Vous mangez de la soupe

Dive In Confidently

Studying grammar is often the hardest part of learning a language, but not all grammar aspects are complicated. While partitive articles may not be a piece of cake, it won’t take long before you’re using them with confidence. Even now, you will probably find that you understand written or spoken French a little more after learning what those odd words are used for.

While they may be an easier aspect of French grammar, it will take time before you don’t have to think about forming or using partitive articles. Continuing to practice them along with your regular French studying and making an effort to expose yourself to written and spoken French will help them soon feel natural. So get out there, keep on studying, and know that you’re one step closer to mastering French!