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L’article partitif
L’article partitif
The partitif is used to talk about parts of things, or uncountable amounts.
The partitif is used to talk about parts of things, or uncountable amounts.
Forms: The partitif = the preposition de and the definite article (le, la, l’).
Uses:
Uses:
Partitive articles are used to talk about parts of things and quantities that cannot be counted. English often doesn’t use anything in this case but sometimes uses “some.”
Partitive articles are used to talk about parts of things and quantities that cannot be counted. English often doesn’t use anything in this case but sometimes uses “some.”
For example, In the above example, an English speaker could either say: I would like to add garlic… or I would like to add some garlic.
While the indefinite article (un, une, des) is used with countable quantities (un oeuf, deux oeufs ...), the partitive article is used before mass nouns, nouns that are indivisible or uncountable.
The partitive article designates a part of the whole. Note that depending on what you want to say, the same noun may be introduced by a definite, indefinite, or a partitive article. Compare these examples: some are about a whole thing, some about a part of something:
Fun transformations with negations and with expressions of quantity: omitting (leaving out) the article
Fun transformations with negations and with expressions of quantity: omitting (leaving out) the article
In negative sentences:
In negative sentences, like the indefinite article (un, une, des), the partitive articles also (du, de la, des, de l') change to de: masculine, feminine, singular, plural.
With expressions of quantity, use de with no article for masculine, feminine, singular, and plural.
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