des (de + les)
Contraction De + Les = Des
In French, you can never say 'de les' before a noun. It must always contract into des.
How It Works
The word des has two distinct roles in French, and it is vital to distinguish them:
1. The Contraction (de + les): This occurs when you need to say 'of the', 'from the', or 'about the' in the plural. It refers to specific items.
2. The Indefinite Article: This means 'some' or refers to unspecified items (e.g., J'ai des pommes).
Key Rules for the Contraction:
- Mandatory: Writing 'de les' before a noun is always a grammatical error.
- Gender Neutral: It is used for both masculine and feminine plural nouns.
- Liaison: When the following word starts with a vowel or silent 'h', the 's' is pronounced as a /z/ sound (e.g., des arbres).
- Negation: Unlike the indefinite article 'des', the contracted 'des' does not change to 'de' in a negative sentence. If you are talking about specific things, it remains des.
- Adjectives: Even if an adjective comes before the noun, the contracted 'des' remains des (e.g., le prix des nouveaux livres).
Examples (4)
- Le jouet des enfants est cassé.
The children's toy is broken.
Word by Word: The toy of the children is broken.
Here, 'des' is the contraction of 'de' (of) + 'les' (the). It indicates possession.
- Ils reviennent des États-Unis.
They are returning from the United States.
Word by Word: They return from the United States.
The verb 'revenir' requires the preposition 'de'. Since 'États-Unis' is plural, 'de' + 'les' becomes 'des'.
- Elle parle des problèmes de l'entreprise.
She is talking about the company's problems.
Word by Word: She speaks of the problems of the company.
The verb 'parler' uses 'de' to mean 'about'. 'De' + 'les problèmes' contracts to 'des problèmes'.
- Je ne me souviens pas des vacances.
I don't remember the holidays.
Word by Word: I not me remember not of the holidays.
Because this refers to specific holidays, the contraction 'des' stays the same even in the negative sentence.
Common Mistakes
Failing to contract 'de' and 'les'.
Le livre de les étudiants.Le livre des étudiants.In French, 'de les' is never allowed before a noun. You must use the contraction 'des'.
Using 'de problèmes' to mean 'the specific problems'.
Different MeaningJe ne parle pas de problèmes.Je ne parle pas des problèmes.'Je ne parle pas de problèmes' is correct, but it means 'I am not talking about problems' in general. To say 'I am not talking about the problems', keep 'des': 'Je ne parle pas des problèmes'.
Contracting 'de' and 'les' when 'les' is a pronoun.
J'ai peur des voir.J'ai peur de les voir.Contractions only happen with articles. If 'les' is a direct object pronoun (meaning 'them'), you do not contract it with 'de'.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the contraction 'des', you must first be familiar with the plural definite article 'les' and the general concept of how the preposition 'de' merges with articles to avoid 'de les'.
Related Patterns
- de (provenance / appartenance)Origin, Possession with De
The base preposition used to form this contraction.
Level 1 - des (article indéfini)Indefinite Plural Article Des
A homophone (looks the same) that means 'some', but follows different rules for negation and adjectives.
Level 1 - aux (à + les)Contraction a + Les = Aux
A similar mandatory contraction involving the preposition 'à' and the plural article 'les'.
Level 1 - Linking a silent consonant to the next vowel
Explains why the 's' in 'des' is pronounced like a 'z' before vowels.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice des (de + les) in Bubblegum
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