Point de départ Use partitive articles in French to express some or any. To form the partitive, use the preposition de followed by a definite article. Although the words some and any are often omitted in English, the partitive must always be used in French. © and ® 2007 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.
Note that partitive articles are only used with non-count nouns (nouns whose quantity cannot be expressed by a number). The article des also means some, but it is the plural form of the indefinite article, not the partitive. © and ® 2007 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.
To give a negative response to a question asked using the partitive structure, as with indefinite articles, always use pas de. © and ® 2007 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.
1. Samira boit __________ eau minérale tous les soirs. Essayez! Complétez les phrases. Choisissez le partitif, l’article indéfini ou pas de/d’. 1. Samira boit __________ eau minérale tous les soirs. 2. Son frère mange __________ éclairs. 3. Est-ce qu’il y a __________ sucre pour le café? 4. Il y a __________ kilo de sucre sur la table. 5. Non, merci, je ne prends __________ frites. 6. Nous buvons __________ limonade. de l’ © and ® 2007 Vista Higher Learning, Inc.