The partitive article de
Reminder: When referring to an undefined quantity, we use the partitive articles du, de la, de l' and des les partitifs + noun. There is no direct equivalent in English, so they are often translated as “some” or “any”, or simply omitted altogether.
I eat bread and jam.
Du, de la, des become de, and de l' becomes d':
- When the sentence is in the negative form:
I want (some) tea. → I don't want (any) tea.
Caroline eats pie. → Caroline doesn't eat pie.
Roger drinks water. → Roger doesn't drink (any) water.
- When referring to a defined quantity. Examples: un kilo (a kilo), une tasse (a cup), un verre (a glass), un peu (a little), beaucoup (a lot), trop (too much), etc.:
I would like some sugar. → I'd like a kilo of sugar.
You eat pasta. → You eat a lot of pasta.
You are having some water. → You are having a glass of water.
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