Partitive Article – du, de la, de l’, des

	Share / Tweet / Pin Me!

Article partitif

The partitive article refers to an unspecified quantity of food, liquid, or some other uncountable noun. English has no equivalent article – the partitive is usually translated by the adjectives “some” or “any,” or may be left out entirely.

Par exemple…

J’ai mangé du pain hier.		I ate bread yesterday.
Achète des épinards.		Buy some spinach.

Characteristics of partitive articles

1. Used with uncountable nouns like chocolate, water, and money*
2. Placed directly in front of a noun
3. Agree with the noun in number and sometimes gender

* As opposed to countable nouns like bars of chocolate, glasses of water, and euros, which take the indefinite article.

French partitive articles

		Masculine	Feminine
singular		du de l’	de la de l’
plural		des	des

+ There are three singular articles:

1. Masculine: du
2. Feminine: de la
3. Contracted (m or f in front of vowel or mute h): de l’

+ There is only one plural partitive article: des. It’s used with nouns that are always plural.

Using partitive articles

The partitive article is needed when talking about an unknown or unspecified quantity of something uncountable.

Par exemple…

Je veux de l’eau.		I want some water.
J’ai acheté des pâtes.		I bought some pasta.

Water and pasta are both uncountable – you can’t ask “how many” water or pasta, only “how much.” That’s how you know to use the partitive rather than the indefinite article.

The partitive is also used with abstract nouns after verbs like avoir and falloir.

Par exemple…

Tu as de la chance.		You’re lucky.
Il faut du courage.		You need courage.

The partitive is also used with faire and jouer plus musical instruments, and with faire for sports and other activities in the sense of practicing.

Par exemple…

Je fais / joue du violon.		I play the violin.
Il fait du droit.		He practices law.

  In certain constructions, the partitive reverts to simply de (or its contraction d’).

After negation

Je n’ai pas mangé de pain.		I didn’t eat any bread.
N’achète jamais d’épinards.		Never buy spinach.

Learn more

After expressions of quantity

J’ai bu beaucoup de café.		I drank a lot of coffee.
Il nous reste peu d’argent.		We have little money left.

After avoir envie and avoir besoin

J’ai envie de thé.		I want some tea.
As-tu besoin d’assistance ?		Do you need help?

When an adjective precedes the noun (plural only)

Je cherche de beaux épinards.		I’m looking for some beautiful spinach.
Il fait de bons spaghettis.		He makes good spaghetti.
But: Je veux du bon fromage.		I want some good cheese.

 Partitive Article Quizzes

Think you’ve got it? Test yourself on French partitive articles with these quizzes:

• Fill in the blanks:
       Cher Papa Noël
       Faire les courses
• Multiple choice

Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to take these tests. If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!

 Related lessons

• Introduction to articles
• Article comparison
• Negative adverbs
• Negative de
• Contractions
• De vs du, de la, des
• Food
• Drinks

 French lesson plans

• French grammar sheets (Worksheet, 4th-12th grade)
• Les repas (Lesson, 10th grade)
   

 In italiano

• Articolo partitivo
   

 Share / Tweet / Pin Me!