L’eau, d’eau or de l’eau? in French
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L’eau, d’eau or de l’eau?
• We say de lâeau when referring to an undefined quantity:
Je voudrais de lâeau fraĂźche I’d like some cold water (We don’t know how much water)
Il y a de lâeau ? Is there any water?
Il y a de lâeau ? Is there any water?
D’eau is used in the following cases:
• When the quantity is defined:
• When the quantity is defined:
Je voudrais un verre dâeau I’d like a glass of water.
Voici un litre dâeau Here is a litre of water.
Voici un litre dâeau Here is a litre of water.
• With adverbs of quantity:
Il y a beaucoup dâeau, un peu dâeau, trop dâeau, assez dâeau There is a lot of, a bit of, too much, enough water.
• With negative phrases:
Il nây a pas dâeau There isn’t any water.
• In certain noun and adjective phrases:
une chute dâeau a waterfall, une trombe dâeau a water spout, plein dâeau full of water, etc.
Note that we use the definite article lâ when we speak about water as an entity or ‘all the water present’.
Jâaime lâeau ! I like water!
Lâeau de la riviĂšre est sale The river water is dirty.
Tu as pris l’eau ? Did you take the water? (= Did you take all the water?)
Lâeau de la riviĂšre est sale The river water is dirty.
Tu as pris l’eau ? Did you take the water? (= Did you take all the water?)
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