The “article partitif” is used to introduce materials and nouns whose quantity is unprecise or cannot be counted. Its form varies depending on the different conditions listed below.
Condition | Article partitif | Example |
In front of a masculin noun | Du | Je bois du lait (we don't precise the milk quantity) |
In front of a feminin noun | De la | J'achète de la viande (we don't precise the quantity of meat being purchased) |
In front of a noun starting with a vowel or an h | De l' | Je bois de l'eau (not de la eau) Je verse de l'huile (not de la huile) |
In front of a plural noun | Des | Je mange des pommes (we don't precise the apples quantity) |
In a negative sentence | De/d' (in front of a noun starting with a vowel) | Je ne mange pas de viande (even if the noun is feminin) Je ne mange pas de pommes (even if the noun is in its plural form) Je ne bois pas d'eau |
On your marks, get set, practice! And let us know below ⬇ if you have troubles using the “article partitif”.