Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn how to use French partitive articles du, de la, and de l' to express indefinite quantities, as in du pain, de la viande, and de l'eau.
  1. Partitive articles change according to the gender and number of the noun.
Article partitifDevant une consonneDevant une voyelle ou h muet (Before a vowel or mute h)
Masculin (Masculine)DuDe l'
Féminin (Feminine)De laDe l'

Exercise 1: Les articles partitifs: "Du, De l', De la"

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

de la, de l', du

1. Féminin:
L'épicier vend ... sauce.
(The grocer sells some sauce.)
2. Masculin:
J'ajoute ... sel au plat.
(I add some salt to the dish.)
3. Masculin:
Je prends ... âge tous les ans.
(I get older every year.)
4. Féminin:
Vous prenez ...huile pour cuisiner.
(You are taking some oil to cook with.)
5. Féminin:
Les filles font les course ...semaine.
(The girls do the week's shopping.)
6. Masculin:
Veux-tu ... fromage dans ton sandwich ?
(Do you want some cheese in your sandwich?)
7. Masculin:
Le client compare la taille ... paquet.
(The customer compares the size of the packet.)
8. Masculin:
Mon frère achète la viande ... boucher.
(My brother buys meat from the butcher.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Je voudrais acheter ___ pain à la boulangerie.

(I would like to buy ___ bread at the bakery.)

2. Il y a ___ viande fraîche à la boucherie.

(There is ___ fresh meat at the butcher's.)

3. Nous prenons ___ eau au supermarché.

(We take ___ water at the supermarket.)

4. Le client parle ___ vendeur au marché.

(The customer talks ___ seller at the market.)

5. Elle choisit ___ fruits à l'épicerie.

(She chooses ___ fruits at the grocery store.)

6. Je compare les prix ___ magasins du centre commercial.

(I compare prices ___ stores in the shopping center.)

Understanding French Partitive Articles: Du, De l', De la

This lesson focuses on the French partitive articles, essential for expressing unspecified quantities of something, often food or substances. Partitive articles are used to talk about some or any amount of a noun without specifying an exact quantity.

Partitive Articles Overview

In French, partitive articles vary depending on the gender of the noun and the first letter (vowel or consonant) of the following word.

Partitive ArticleBefore a ConsonantBefore a Vowel or Silent 'H'
MasculineDuDe l'
FeminineDe laDe l'

Key Points About Usage

  • Du is used before masculine singular nouns starting with a consonant, as in "Je voudrais acheter du pain à la boulangerie." (I would like to buy some bread at the bakery.)
  • De lade la viande fraîche à la boucherie." (There is some fresh meat at the butcher's.)
  • De l' is used before singular nouns starting with a vowel or mute 'h', regardless of gender, such as "Nous prenons de l' eau au supermarché." (We take some water at the supermarket.)

Remember

These articles are common when speaking about parts of a whole or unspecified quantities and are not used with countable nouns when talking about numbers (that usually take des).

Useful Vocabulary and Phrases

  • du pain – some bread
  • de la viande – some meat
  • de l'eau – some water
  • à la boulangerie – at the bakery
  • au supermarché – at the supermarket

Note on Differences Between English and French

In English, we often omit any article when referring to an unspecified amount of uncountable nouns (e.g., "I want bread"), while French requires these partitive articles. Also, French uses gendered articles, which means you must know the gender of the noun to use the correct form.

Common expressions you might hear include:

  • "Je voudrais du café." – I would like some coffee.
  • "Elle boit de l'eau." – She drinks some water.
  • "Il mange de la salade." – He is eating some salad.

Understanding and practicing these articles will improve your ability to express quantity naturally and correctly in French.

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This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

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Alessia Calcagni

Languages for communication in international enterprises and organizations

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

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Last Updated:

Thursday, 17/07/2025 13:40