Du, De la, Des: The French Partitive Article, Fully Explained
Du, de la, de l' and des all mean "some" - but they all collapse to just "de" after a negative. The full partitive article rules with examples.
Du, de la, de l’ and des all mean “some” in French - du pain (some bread), de la confiture (some jam), des pommes (some apples). After a negative, they all collapse to simply de: je ne mange pas de pain (I don’t eat bread), not “pas du pain.”
Quick answer
Du, de la, de l’ and des all mean “some” in French - du pain (some bread), de la confiture (some jam), des pommes (some apples). After a negative, they all collapse to simply de: je ne mange pas de pain (I don’t eat bread), not “pas du pain.”
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For the wider three-article system this belongs to, see the three French article systems.
The four forms
| Form | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| du | masc. singular | du pain |
| de la | fem. singular | de la confiture |
| de l’ | before a vowel | de l’eau |
| des | plural | des pommes |
Count vs uncount: des vs du/de la
Des means “some” countable things - des pommes (some apples, individually countable). Du/de la means “some” of an uncountable mass - du pain (some bread), de la patience (some patience). A subtle but real distinction most guides blur together.
The negation-collapse rule (the star section)
After ne…pas, ALL partitives become simply de: je ne mange pas de pain, je n’ai pas de pommes - never “pas du pain.” See French negation for the full ne…pas system this interacts with.
Common mistakes
Keeping du/de la after a negative (wrong); confusing partitive des with the plain indefinite plural des - same spelling, different grammatical role, distinguished only by context.
Some, correctly said
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Questions about this note
What does du mean in French?
"Some," used before masculine uncountable nouns: du pain.
What's the difference between des and du?
des is for countable plurals (des pommes); du/de la are for uncountable singular mass nouns (du pain, de la confiture).
What happens to du/de la/des after a negative?
They all become simply de: pas de pain, pas de pommes.
Is des always partitive?
No - des can also be the plain indefinite plural article ("some/a few"), same form, different grammatical role.
How do you say "some water" in French?
de l'eau (de l' before a vowel sound).