PrepMyFrench
PrepMyFrench
Also known as: partitive articles · du de la des · French partitives
Partitive articles are French articles used for an unspecified amount of something, especially food, drink, abstract nouns, and mass nouns. The main forms are du, de la, de l', and des, often translated as some or any in English.
After most negation, partitives become de or d': je bois du café, but je ne bois pas de café. They also interact with quantity expressions such as beaucoup de.
Partitive accuracy improves everyday descriptions and helps candidates avoid English-influenced omissions of articles before French nouns.
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