French 4.2. Partitives

In this lesson, we cover partitives and partitive articles in French. This is one of the confusing topics for English-speaking learners of French.

To refer to an unidentified quantity of something in English, we often use words or phrases like “some,” “a few,” and “a little bit of.” These are called partitives. They refer to a part of something, whether it is countable, e.g., “some trees,” or uncountable, e.g., “some water.”

In French, the most common way to form partitives is using the preposition “de” followed by a definite article, also known as a partitive article.

This would literally translate to “of the.” However, it serves more as an equivalent to the partitive “some” in English.

Countable Nouns

Because countable nouns have a plural form, we use the partitive article “des,” which comes from the contraction of the preposition “de” and the plural definite article “les.”

Let us look at some examples with countable nouns:

“Quelques” & “Certain(e)s”

Remember that using partitive articles is not the only way to describe an undefined quantity of countable nouns.

For example, we can use the partitive word “quelques,” meaning “some.” We may also use the more specific partitive “certain(e)s” (certain) depending on the context.

Let us look at some examples:

Uncountable Nouns

By countable nouns, we refer to nouns that are not often used in plural form, even if a plural form can be used in some contexts. For example, in English, we could say “three fruits” referring to three pieces of fruit. However, we often use the word “fruit” as an uncountable noun.

Here, we discuss how to refer to an undefined quantity of such nouns when used in their uncountable form.

To refer to an uncountable noun using a partitive article, we treat it as a singular noun. Thus, we use the preposition “de” followed by the singular definite article “le,” “la,” or “l’.”

This results in the three following partitive articles:

Let us look at some examples with uncountable nouns:

“Un peu de”

As an alternative to partitive articles, one can, depending on the context, use the partitive word “un peu de” (a bit of) to refer to an undefined quantity of an uncountable noun.

Here are some examples:

Verbs that Require “de”

Some verbs in French require the preposition “de,” e.g., “avoir besoin de” (to need).

In this case, we can instead use an alternative partitive such as “quelques” or “un peu de,” e.g., “J’ai besoin de quelques livres à lire sur le sujet” (I need some books to read on the subject).

Partitives in Negative Sentences

In negative sentences, the partitive is omitted and replaced with “de,” whether the noun is countable or uncountable. For example, “Je n’ai pas d’oncles” (I don’t have uncles), “Je ne veux pas de sucre” (I don’t want sugar), “Il n’y a pas de pain” (There isn’t bread), etc.

The only exception is when we use the verb “être” (to be) . In this case, we use the partitive article, e.g., “Ce n’est pas de l’eau” (This is not water), “Ce n’est pas de la viande” (This is not meat).

In negative sentences with countable nouns, the negative meaning of “any,” as in “There aren’t any books,” can be rendered by the use of “aucun(e).” The word “aucun(e)” is treated like an indefinite article. It conveys the meaning of “not one” or “not any,” and it is always followed by a singular noun even if the meaning is plural.

Here are some examples:

Remember, however, that we cannot use “aucun(e)” with uncountable nouns.

Next: Relative Pronouns & Verbs

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