Partitives: du, de la, des
Some bread, some water
By Fabling Editorial · How we design our guides
Some bread, some water
du / de la / de l' / des mark an unspecified amount: Je veux du pain. Je bois de l'eau. After negation this often becomes de: Je ne veux pas de pain.
Examples in context
Read the examples and compare their English meanings.
Food and Drink
Use du for masculine, de la for feminine.
Je mange du pain et je bois de l'eau.
I am eating some bread and I am drinking some water.
Negative Sentences
After pas, an indefinite or partitive article usually becomes de. It remains in some constructions, including after être: Ce n'est pas du café.
Je ne veux pas de café.
I do not want any coffee.
Common mix-ups
Du pain means an unspecified amount of bread. Le pain is also grammatical when referring to particular bread or bread in general.
I want some bread.
Try a reply
Say or write your answer in French before opening the example.
I want some soup, but no bread.
Show one possible answer
Je veux de la soupe, mais pas de pain.
Other wording can work too. Compare the verb form, agreement, and word order with the lesson. Then try a sentence about your own day.
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