des (article partitif)

Partitive Article Des (Plural)

Level 1

The plural partitive article des is used for plural nouns that represent an unspecified amount of a substance or a collective whole. It answers 'how much?' rather than 'how many?'

How It Works

The partitive article des is used to indicate an unspecified portion of something that is plural. It is important to distinguish it from the contraction of the preposition de and the article les.

1. Usage with Mass Nouns:
In French, some foods are typically referred to in the plural. We use des to mean 'some'.

  • Je mange des pâtes. (I am eating [some] pasta.)
  • Voulez-vous des épinards ? (Do you want [some] spinach?)

2. Negative Sentences and Elision:
In a negative sentence, des usually changes to de. If the noun starts with a vowel or mute 'h', it becomes d'.

  • Je n'ai pas de pâtes. (I don't have any pasta.)
  • Je n'ai pas d'épinards. (I don't have any spinach.)

Exception: With state verbs like être, devenir (to become), or sembler (to seem), the article does not change in the negative.

  • Ce ne sont pas des pâtes. (These are not [some] pasta.)

3. Adverbs of Quantity:
When following most adverbs of quantity (like beaucoup, trop, or peu), des becomes de (or d').

  • Il y a beaucoup de pâtes. (There is a lot of pasta.)
  • J'ai trop d'épinards. (I have too much spinach.)

Note: Some expressions like la plupart (most) or bien (many) are exceptions and keep the article des (e.g., la plupart des pâtes).

4. Before an Adjective:
When a plural adjective comes before the noun, des traditionally changes to de.

  • J'ai mangé de bonnes lentilles. (I ate [some] good lentils.)

5. Contraction vs. Partitive:
If des is a contraction of the preposition de (meaning 'of the' or 'about the'), it never changes to 'de' in negatives.

  • Je parle des enfants. (I am talking about the children.)
  • Je ne parle pas des enfants. (I am not talking about the children.)

Examples (5)

  1. Elle achète des rillettes pour le dîner.

    She is buying some rillettes for dinner.

    Word by Word: She buys some rillettes for the dinner.

    'Rillettes' is a plural mass noun in French, so we use the partitive 'des' to indicate an unspecified amount.

  2. Voulez-vous des épinards avec votre poisson ?

    Would you like some spinach with your fish?

    Word by Word: Want you some spinaches with your fish?

    Notice the liaison: 'des épinards' is pronounced with a /z/ sound connecting the two words.

  3. Il a fallu des siècles pour construire cette cathédrale.

    It took centuries to build this cathedral.

    Word by Word: It has been-necessary some centuries for to-build this cathedral.

    Here, 'des' refers to an unspecified, large mass of time.

  4. Je ne veux pas de pâtes, merci.

    I don't want any pasta, thank you.

    Word by Word: I not want not of pasta, thank-you.

    In a negative sentence, the partitive 'des' changes to 'de'.

  5. Nous mangeons des lentilles ce soir.

    We are eating lentils tonight.

    Word by Word: We eat some lentils this evening.

    Lentils are treated as a collective plural mass in this context.

Common Mistakes

  • Using 'de' instead of 'des' after state verbs in a negative sentence.

    Ce ne sont pas de pâtes.
    Ce ne sont pas des pâtes.

    The rule where 'des' changes to 'de' in a negative sentence does not apply when the verb is a state verb like être, 'sembler', or 'devenir'. The article remains 'des'.

  • Using 'des' after an adverb of quantity like 'beaucoup'.

    Je mange beaucoup des pâtes.
    Je mange beaucoup de pâtes.

    After most adverbs of quantity like 'beaucoup' (a lot) or 'trop' (too much), 'des' must change to 'de' (or 'd'' before a vowel).

  • Forgetting to elide 'de' to 'd'' before a vowel sound.

    Je n'ai pas de épinards.
    Je n'ai pas d'épinards.

    When 'des' changes to 'de' in negative sentences or after quantities, it must become 'd'' if the following word starts with a vowel or mute 'h' to follow the rule of elision.

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des (article partitif)Level 1Partitive Article Des (Plural)

Learn This First

The plural partitive article 'des' is used for unspecified quantities of plural items. It requires an understanding of the partitive concept and the general use of plural articles in French.

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