G07 · Grammar

Partitive Articles in French (du, de la, des)

Quick Reference: French Partitive Articles

Partitive articles (du, de la, de l', des) are used for unspecified quantities or uncountable items (food, liquids, abstract qualities).

Gender / Form	Partitive Article	Example
Masculine singular	du	du pain (some bread)
Feminine singular	de la	de la salade (some salad)
Before vowel / h muet	de l'	de l'eau (some water)
Plural	des	des frites (some fries)

Crucial Rule (Negatives & Quantities): In negative sentences or after fixed quantity expressions (beaucoup, un peu, trop), partitives change to de / d':
Je mange du fromage → Je ne mange pas de fromage.

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Quick Guide: French Partitive Articles

Partitive articles express unspecified quantities of uncountable nouns ("some" or "any" in English).

Category	Form	Example
Masculine Singular	du	du pain (some bread), du fromage
Feminine Singular	de la	de la viande (some meat), de la salade
Before Vowel or Silent H	de l'	de l'eau (some water), de l'huile
Plural (uncountable/indefinite)	des	des légumes, des pâtes
Negative Sentences	de / d' (replaces du, de la, des)	Je ne mange pas de viande. / Je n'ai pas d'eau.
Fixed Quantity Expressions	de / d' (after beaucoup, un peu, trop, un kilo...)	beaucoup de fromage, un peu d'eau

Common Trap: Verbs of preference (aimer, adorer, détester, préférer) take definite articles (le, la, l', les), NOT partitive articles. Example: J'aime le fromage (I like cheese in general) vs Je mange du fromage (I am eating some cheese).