28 - How to Use Partitive Articles in French

 
 

In this episode, you'll learn what the French partitive articles are, when to use them and how to use them!

If you’d prefer to listen on the go, listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Links & Cheat Sheet

Transcript

Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!

Hi everyone! Salut à tous! Welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast! This episode number 28, numéro 28. In this episode, you'll learn what the partitive articles are, when to use them, and how to use them. Sounds good? Great. 

Before we start, download your lesson's cheat sheet, so you can hear the words and read them at the same time, it’s free. As usual, after the lesson, head over the French Made Easy Library, where you can download your exercises and practice what you've learned. C'est gratuit. It's free. 

Alright, are you ready? C'est parti. 

So, the partitive articles in French are:

  • "du" 

  • "de la"

  • "de l'" 

  • "des"

As a beginner, I think that's easier for you to remember that the partitive article is equivalent to the word "some" in English. 

But remember that "some" can be omitted in English, whereas you can't skip the article most of the time in French. So, just remember that. 

Now let’s talk about when we should use the partitive articles.

We use the partitive articles when we need to express a part of something, a quantity that we cannot count, that is not specific. 

Let me just repeat that. 

The partitive articles are used to express a quantity that is not specific. 

Par exemple, "Do you want [some] coffee?" Here, it's not a specific quantity of coffee. So I'm gonna use the partitive article. In french it’s :

➡️ "Tu veux du café?" "Du" here is the partitive article.

We often use the partitive article for food, but we also use it to talk about someone's feelings or qualities. 

➡️ "Il a de l'humour." (He has [some] humour.) Here, we are talking about someone's quality. "De l'" here is the partitive article.

We also use partitives articles with the verb "faire" (to do, to make); we've learned this verb in episode 24. 

➡️ "Je fais de la danse." (I'm dancing, word for word translation. I'm doing some dancing.) Here, "de la" is the partitive article.

Ok super. Now you're probably wondering which partitive article you should use.

Same as the definite and indefinite article (that we've learned in episode 11 and 12) the partitive article changes depending on the noun that follows. Let’s see what the rules are.

RULE #1

Before a masculine noun, use the partitive article: du

Par exemple :➡️ Il mange du pain. (He's eating [some] bread)

RULE #2

Before a feminine noun, use the partitive article "de la"

Par exemple: ➡️ Tu veux de la salade? (Do you want [some] salad?) 

RULE #3

Before a noun starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a mute h, wether is feminine or masculine, doesn't matter, use the partitive article de l'."

Par exemple: ➡️ Je bois de l'eau. (I’m drinking [some] water.)

RULE #4

Before a plural noun, whether it's feminine or masculine, you have to use "des"

Par exemple: ➡️ On achète des pâtes. (We're buying [some] pasta.) 

RECAP

Ok, now let's do a quick recap: 

  • Before a masculin noun, use the partitive article "du" ➡️ Il mange du pain.

  • Before a feminine noun, use the partitive article "de la" ➡️ Tu veux de la salade?

  • Before a noun starting with a vowel or a mute h, use the partitive article "de l'" ➡️ Je bois de l'eau.

  • Before a plural noun, use the partitive article "des" ➡️ On achète des pâtes. 

Now, that's the end of our lesson; thank you so much for listening! Don't forget to subscribe, so you don't miss out on any new episode and make sure you go and download your exercises. It's free! If you've liked this lesson, please leave me a review on Apple podcast. It will help a lot. 

Merci beaucoup et à bientôt! 💗

Mathilde Kien2 Comments