This deep dive covers Les articles partitifs — Partitive articles (some / any) within Gender and articles: le, la, un, une, du for GCSE French. Revise Gender and articles: le, la, un, une, du in Core Grammar Toolkit for GCSE French with 15 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 6 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
📋 Les articles partitifs — Partitive articles (some / any)
Use partitive articles with uncountable nouns — food, drink, abstract concepts — where you mean "some" or an unspecified quantity.
| Gender / Number | Article | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | du (= de + le) | du pain | some bread |
| Feminine singular | de la | de la viande | some meat |
| Before vowel / mute h | de l' | de l'eau | some water |
| Plural | des | des épinards | some spinach |
| After a negative → all become de / d' | |||
| After negative | de / d' | Je ne mange pas de pain | I don't eat (any) bread |
Je mange du pain et de la confiture chaque matin.
I eat (some) bread and (some) jam every morning.
- du = de + le, because pain is masculine — you cannot write de le pain.
- de la before confiture (feminine) — no contraction needed.
Je ne mange pas de pain et je ne bois pas d'alcool.
I don't eat (any) bread and I don't drink (any) alcohol.
- After ne…pas, both du and de l' become de / d'.
- d'alcool because alcool starts with a vowel — elision applies even here.
Je vais au cinéma avec des amis du collège.
I am going to the cinema with friends from school.
- au = à + le (masculine cinéma) — obligatory contraction; à le is never written.
- du = de + le (masculine collège) — same contraction rule for de.
- à + les = aux and de + les = des — these are the four contractions examiners expect at Higher.
⭐ The four obligatory contractions
| Combination | Result | Example |
|---|---|---|
| à + le | au | Je vais au marché. |
| à + les | aux | Je parle aux professeurs. |
| de + le | du | Le livre du professeur. |
| de + les | des | Les livres des élèves. |
à la and de la do NOT contract — only le and les trigger contractions.
Practice questions for Gender and articles: le, la, un, une, du
Which definite article do you use with a masculine singular noun in French?
Which form of the definite article is used before a noun beginning with a vowel, such as 'école'?