Partitive Articles
French: Cambridge International GCSE, topic 8.1.2
Partitive Articles
Partitive articles are used to refer to a specific portion of a whole.
Msculine
- masculine singular:
- du: de + le
- masculine singular (before a vowel):
- de l’
Feminine & plurals
- feminine singular:
- de la
- plural (masculine and feminine)
- des: (de + les)
Usage
- We use partitive articles when referring to a part of something, not the whole item.
- They are almost always used with food and drink nouns.
Difference
- Je mange du chocolat
- I eat (some) chocolate. → just a portion
- Je mange le chocolat
- I eat the chocolate. → the whole chocolate bar
Examples
- Elle boit de la bière tous les week-ends.
- She drinks (some) beer every weekend.
- Je mange des légumes avec de la viande tous les jours.
- I eat vegetables with meat every day.
Test yourself on Partitive Articles
Which of these is a partitive article in French?