French partitive articles are used to talk about an unspecified amount of something, especially food, drinks, and abstract nouns. This cheat sheet helps students choose between du, de la, de l’, and des in everyday sentences. It is useful for writing about meals, shopping, preferences, and daily routines in French.
Clear rules and examples make it easier to avoid common English-to-French translation mistakes.
The core idea is that French often uses an article where English may use no article, as in Je bois du café for I drink coffee. The form depends on the gender, number, and first sound of the noun that follows. In negative sentences, partitive articles usually change to de or d’.
Expressions of quantity also use de after the quantity word, as in beaucoup de pain or une bouteille d’eau.
Key Facts
- Use du before a masculine singular noun: Je mange du pain means I eat some bread.
- Use de la before a feminine singular noun: Elle boit de la soupe means She drinks some soup.
- Use de l’ before a singular noun that begins with a vowel sound or silent h: Il veut de l’eau means He wants some water.
- Use des before a plural noun: Nous achetons des pommes means We buy some apples.
- In most negative sentences, du, de la, de l’, and des change to de or d’: Je ne mange pas de fromage means I do not eat any cheese.
- After expressions of quantity, use de or d’ before the noun: beaucoup de riz, un peu d’eau, une tasse de thé.
- Use the definite article when talking about likes and dislikes in general: J’aime le chocolat means I like chocolate in general.
- Use a partitive article when talking about consuming or using an unspecified amount: Je mange du chocolat means I am eating some chocolate.
Vocabulary
- Partitive article
- A French article used to refer to an unspecified amount of something, often translated as some or any.
- Du
- The partitive article used before a masculine singular noun, formed from de plus le.
- De la
- The partitive article used before a feminine singular noun.
- De l’
- The partitive article used before a singular noun that begins with a vowel sound or silent h.
- Des
- The article used before plural nouns when referring to some or an unspecified plural amount.
- Expression of quantity
- A phrase such as beaucoup, un peu, une tasse, or un kilo that tells how much or how many of something.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using no article in French because English uses none is wrong because French usually requires a partitive article, as in Je bois du lait, not Je bois lait.
- Using du for every kind of food is wrong because the article must match the noun’s gender and number, such as de la salade for feminine singular and des carottes for plural.
- Keeping the partitive article after a negative is usually wrong because du, de la, de l’, and des become de or d’, as in Je n’ai pas de sucre.
- Using a partitive article after a quantity word is wrong because quantity expressions are followed by de or d’, as in beaucoup de fromage, not beaucoup du fromage.
- Confusing general likes with eating or drinking a quantity is wrong because J’aime le café means I like coffee in general, while Je bois du café means I drink some coffee.
Practice Questions
- 1 Choose the correct partitive article: Je mange ___ poulet. The noun poulet is masculine singular.
- 2 Rewrite in the negative: Nous achetons des oranges.
- 3 Fill in the blank with the correct form: Elle boit une tasse ___ thé.
- 4 Explain the difference in meaning between J’aime le fromage and Je mange du fromage.