Partitive articles (du, de la, des)
The short answer
The partitive means “some” or “any”, and French requires it where English leaves the noun bare. Use du before masculine nouns, de la before feminine, de l’ before a vowel, and des before plurals. After a negative or a quantity word, all four collapse to plain de.
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The rule
The partitive article marks an unspecified amount of something. French cannot leave a noun bare the way English can: je mange du pain, never je mange pain. The form follows the gender and number of the noun: du, de la, de l’, des, and it is used for uncountable things and for plurals whose exact number is not being stated. After a negative and after any expression of quantity, the partitive reduces to de with no article at all, which is the rule learners find hardest to apply consistently in speech.
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | dunoun | Je voudrais du café. |
| Feminine singular | de lanoun | Elle prend de la soupe. |
| Before a vowel or mute h | de l’noun | Il boit de l’eau. |
| Plural | desnoun | J’achète des tomates. |
| After a negative | de (or d’) alone | Je ne bois pas de café. |
| After a quantity | de (or d’) alone | beaucoup de travail |
Part 1 of 3
Why the article cannot be dropped
English can say “I’d like coffee” with nothing in front of the noun. French cannot: the noun needs a determiner, and when the amount is unspecified that determiner is the partitive. Leaving it out is not casual French: it is ungrammatical, and it is the single most audible error in this area.
Choosing between du, de la, de l’ and des is only a matter of the noun’s gender and number, so if you know the gender the form is automatic. Where the gender is not known, this is one of the places it starts to cost you.
Je voudrais du pain, s’il vous plaît.
I’d like some bread, please.
Il faut de la patience pour ce travail.
This job takes patience.
Elle écoute de la musique classique.
She listens to classical music.
NBEnglish drops the article entirely here; French will not.
Part 2 of 3
The de-only rule
After a negative, the partitive collapses to de: je mange du fromage becomes je ne mange pas de fromage. The article disappears completely rather than changing form.
The same happens after any expression of quantity: beaucoup de, peu de, assez de, trop de, un kilo de, une bouteille de. This one catches learners because the quantity word feels like it should add to the article rather than replace it.
Il n’y a pas de lait dans le frigo.
There’s no milk in the fridge.
J’ai beaucoup de travail cette semaine.
I have a lot of work this week.
Elle a acheté un kilo de pommes.
She bought a kilo of apples.
NBNot un kilo des pommes, the quantity word takes the article’s place.
Part 3 of 3
Partitive, definite or indefinite?
Three articles compete for the same slot and they say different things. Le café is coffee in general or a specific coffee; du café is some coffee; un café is one cup of it. J’aime le café and je bois du café are both correct and mean different things.
Verbs of liking: aimer, adorer, détester, préférer: always take the definite article, because liking applies to the whole category rather than to a portion of it. This is a reliable rule and it removes a lot of guesswork.
J’aime le chocolat, mais je ne mange pas de chocolat le soir.
I like chocolate, but I don’t eat chocolate in the evening.
NBDefinite after aimer, then de after the negative, both rules in one sentence.
Tu veux un café ou du thé ?
Do you want a coffee or some tea?
Les enfants adorent les frites.
Children love chips.
Mistakes to avoid
What learners actually get wrong
Je mange pain le matin.
Je mange du pain le matin.
French nouns need a determiner. English leaves the noun bare for unspecified amounts and French never does, which makes this the most common single error learners bring from English.
Je ne bois pas du vin.
Je ne bois pas de vin.
After a negative the partitive becomes plain de. The article does not change form. It disappears altogether, and the same happens to de la, de l’ and des.
Il y a beaucoup des touristes ici.
Il y a beaucoup de touristes ici.
Expressions of quantity take de alone. Beaucoup des exists but means “many of the”, referring to a specific known group, which is almost never what is intended.
J’aime du café.
J’aime le café.
Aimer, adorer, détester and préférer take the definite article, because they are about the category rather than a portion of it. Je bois du café is correct, the verb decides, not the noun.
Now use it
Articles définis, indéfinis, partitifs
le, un, du, de la, des, and when de replaces all of them. Reading a rule and being able to apply it are different skills, and only one of them shows up when you speak.
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Questions
Asked and answered
- Why is it des and not de after some adjectives?
- When a plural adjective comes before the noun, des formally becomes de: de bons résultats, de belles photos. In everyday speech many French speakers keep des, and you will hear both, but written French and exams expect de.
- Is des the plural of un or of du?
- Both, which is why it is confusing. Un livre becomes des livres, and du pain becomes des pains if you are counting loaves. In practice you rarely have to decide, because the form is the same either way.
- Does the de-only rule apply after être?
- No, and this is the useful exception. Ce n’est pas du vin keeps the partitive, because être identifies rather than quantifies. Compare je ne bois pas de vin, where the negative does trigger the rule.