Quelques morceaux de lards (a few pieces of bacon). When you are talking about a portion of an item (food), or something that cannot be quantified (e.g. I post new articles every week, so make sure you subscribe to the French Today newsletter or follow me onFacebook, TwitterandPinterest. When you use an expression of quantity (a kilo of, a bottle of, a little bit of) you are expressing a very specific quantity. Check out my article to figure out why French uses la and de there. 
{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"articleState":{"article":{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T15:00:50+00:00","modifiedTime":"2020-01-13T17:53:25+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:35:44+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Academics & The Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33662"},"slug":"academics-the-arts","categoryId":33662},{"name":"Language & Language Arts","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33687"},"slug":"language-language-arts","categoryId":33687},{"name":"Learning Languages","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33689"},"slug":"learning-languages","categoryId":33689},{"name":"French","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/33695"},"slug":"french","categoryId":33695}],"title":"French Indefinite Articles","strippedTitle":"french indefinite articles","slug":"french-indefinite-articles","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"The French indefinite article is the equivalent to a/an and some (but English often skips it). Donnez-moi un caf, sil vous plat. When you are talking about a whole item, use: Remark: the indefinite article a, an, and the cardinal number one have the same translation in French. DAYS OF SUMMER SALE 20% OFF ALL AUDIOBOOKS. Voil, I hope this article made things clearer for you. Were a 2 people company based in France Please consider supporting us and check out French Todays downloadable French audiobooks: French Todays bilingual novels are recorded at different speeds and enunciation, and focus on todays modern glided pronunciation. In French, you need to use des), Elle a des amies formidables (she has (some) great friends), Donne-moi une pomme. Team, ThoughtCo. Here they are noted in red. She currently teaches French at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.
Véronique Mazet has a doctorate in French from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of two successful grammar books. Some things are easy to quantify: one apple. And these are followed by the preposition de or d (+ vowel or h), meaning of, exactly like in English. "An Introduction to French Articles." a very specific quantity (a number, or an expression of quantity : une pomme, 5 pommes, un kilo de pommes, une bouteille de vin). In English, if you say she has some great friends youd be strongly implying that her other friends are not so great So here, wed use an article when in English youd probably use nothing she has great friends. Check this rule here for the gender of nouns. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho. Some food items are usually referred to as singular in English, although they are really plural. Log in. If so, youre an indefinite article kind of person, like the French! an unspecified quantity of an item (du vin), or an unspecified quantity of something that is not easily quantifiable (du riz, de la patience), more than one of an item, but a vague plural quantity (des pommes). Non ce nest pas une voiture rouge! https://www.thoughtco.com/introduction-to-french-articles-1368810 (accessed July 21, 2022).
No, its not a red car! The definite article is also used in French to indicate the general sense of a noun. It is often omitted in English. The nouns which they modify are generally countable nouns (unlike those modified by the partitive article). Dont use de when the negative verb is tre (to be). It can almost be guaranteed that if what you want to say requires "a," "an," or "one" in English unless you're talking about someone's profession you need the indefinite article. No, its not a red car! ) Ill explain clearly the French partitive & indefinite articles: some vs. specific quantity (+ audio recordings). Just use the indefinite article as if the sentence was affirmative. In a sentence with a negative verb, un, une, and des are replaced by de, even if the noun it introduces is plural. Afteradverbs of quantity, usedeinstead of the partitive article. Learning French in context is the best way to get these French nuances: you enjoy my free French lessons? \"https://sb\" : \"http://b\") + \".scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js\";el.parentNode.insertBefore(s, el);})();\r\n","enabled":true},{"pages":["all"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["article"],"location":"header","script":" ","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage"],"location":"header","script":"","enabled":true},{"pages":["homepage","article","category","search"],"location":"footer","script":"\r\n
\r\n","enabled":true}]}},"pageScriptsLoadedStatus":"success"},"navigationState":{"navigationCollections":[{"collectionId":287568,"title":"BYOB (Be Your Own Boss)","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-entry-level-entrepreneur-287568"},{"collectionId":293237,"title":"Be a Rad Dad","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/be-the-best-dad-293237"},{"collectionId":294090,"title":"Contemplating the Cosmos","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/theres-something-about-space-294090"},{"collectionId":287563,"title":"For Those Seeking Peace of Mind","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-those-seeking-peace-of-mind-287563"},{"collectionId":287570,"title":"For the Aspiring Aficionado","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-bougielicious-287570"},{"collectionId":291903,"title":"For the Budding Cannabis Enthusiast","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-budding-cannabis-enthusiast-291903"},{"collectionId":291934,"title":"For the Exam-Season Crammer","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-exam-season-crammer-291934"},{"collectionId":287569,"title":"For the Hopeless Romantic","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-hopeless-romantic-287569"},{"collectionId":287567,"title":"For the Unabashed Hippie","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/for-the-unabashed-hippie-287567"},{"collectionId":292186,"title":"Just DIY It","hasSubCategories":false,"url":"/collection/just-diy-it-292186"}],"navigationCollectionsLoadedStatus":"success","navigationCategories":{"books":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/books/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/books/level-0-category-0"}},"articles":{"0":{"data":[{"categoryId":33512,"title":"Technology","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/technology-33512"},{"categoryId":33662,"title":"Academics & The Arts","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/academics-the-arts-33662"},{"categoryId":33809,"title":"Home, Auto, & Hobbies","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/home-auto-hobbies-33809"},{"categoryId":34038,"title":"Body, Mind, & Spirit","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/body-mind-spirit-34038"},{"categoryId":34224,"title":"Business, Careers, & Money","hasSubCategories":true,"url":"/category/articles/business-careers-money-34224"}],"breadcrumbs":[],"categoryTitle":"Level 0 Category","mainCategoryUrl":"/category/articles/level-0-category-0"}}},"navigationCategoriesLoadedStatus":"success"},"searchState":{"searchList":[],"searchStatus":"initial","relatedArticlesList":[],"relatedArticlesStatus":"initial"},"routeState":{"name":"Article4","path":"/article/academics-the-arts/language-language-arts/learning-languages/french/french-indefinite-articles-166699/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{"category1":"academics-the-arts","category2":"language-language-arts","category3":"learning-languages","category4":"french","article":"french-indefinite-articles-166699"},"fullPath":"/article/academics-the-arts/language-language-arts/learning-languages/french/french-indefinite-articles-166699/","meta":{"routeType":"article","breadcrumbInfo":{"suffix":"Articles","baseRoute":"/category/articles"},"prerenderWithAsyncData":true},"from":{"name":null,"path":"/","hash":"","query":{},"params":{},"fullPath":"/","meta":{}}},"dropsState":{"submitEmailResponse":false,"status":"initial"},"sfmcState":{"newsletterSignupStatus":"initial"}}, Ten Common French Grammar Mistakes (and How to Avoid Them), Before masculine or feminine plural nouns, Instead of any indefinite article, after a negative verb. David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. Following the same logic, PAS is a specified quantity ; none. Click on the link below to hear my audio recording of this free French grammar lesson. Now when the noun starts with a vowel or a H muet (acting as a vowel): In this case, you can add a LIAISON between the article and the noun with a N sound.
The pronunciation will slightly change if the noun starts with a consonant or a vowel, as well is the noun starts with a H muet or a H aspir. Can You Understand Todays Spoken French? 1- Je voudrais 2 kilos ____ pommes sil vous plat.2- Je nai pas ____ chien.3- Regarde ! ), One North College StNorthfield, MN 55057USA, French and Francophone Studies pages maintained by. So pas is also followed by the preposition de or d. Check a French-English dictionary if you need help with the vocabulary. (You ate a/one banana.)\r\n
Il a vu des lions au zoo. Its a fox.)\r\n
Cest une voiture rouge, nest-ce pas? I have an apple. "An Introduction to French Articles." and the partitive article (du, de la, de l, des, negative pas de). Often, we use nothing at all. (Im going to buy apples. So you are likely to use these constructions a lot, since the French are always talking about food! (patience ; you are not saying how much patience the teacher has, just that he/she has some), Voici du gteau. There are three forms of the French indefinite article.\r\n(an apple, one apple), Je cherche un beau livre. (She has no patience). Like rice.There are many grains of rice, but its rare that you are counting them one by oneSo rice is considered as a single ingredient, singular masculine le riz.If you need to count each grain, then youd use the expression grain de riz Il y a 3 grains de riz sur la table. A few examples when the noun starts with a consonant: A few examples when the noun starts with a H aspir (acting as a consonant): Because H acts as a consonant, we don't add a LIAISON between the article and the noun. You buy either one kilo of rice (a kilo of, an expression of quantity), or some rice (unspecified quantity of an item which is not easily quantifiable). Good luck with your studies and remember, repetition is the key! When the quantity is known/countable, use the indefinite article (or a number): By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Unfortunately, this de or d' looks a lot like de l, du, des etc hence the confusion. Dont use de when the negative verb is tre (to be). (This animal is not a dog. Cest une voiture noire. ","description":"The French indefinite article is the equivalent to a/an and some (but English often skips it). The indefinite articles are un (masculine singular), une (feminine singular), and des (masculine, feminine plural). Its a fox.)
Cest une voiture rouge, nest-ce pas? Partitive ArticleThe partitive is usually used when discussing eating or drinking because one normally only eats some butter, cheese, etc., not all of it. Do you ask about one thing, describe a couple of things that happened, and make plans for an outing that hasnt yet been defined? This tells you there is more than one item, but again, its a vague plural quantity (could be 2, could be 10,000 or more) This des usually applies to whole items, that you could count, but decided not to. Here are some examples. What about une glace la fraise et uneconfiture de fraises ? Here they are noted in red.\r\nChoose between the definite article (le, la, l, les) and the indefinite article (un, une, des, and de) to complete the sentences. (One can hit two birds with one stone. There are four forms of the French definite article: Which definite article to use depends on three things: the noun's gender, number, and first letter: The definite article indicates a specific noun. To master French numbers, train with my audio French Numbers and exercisesseries exclusively available on my French Todays blog. Of course, quantity are going to be very common with food items. Please react! She currently teaches French at Austin Community College in Austin, Texas.","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9721"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"","rightAd":""},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Explore","lifeExpectancy":null,"lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":166699},"articleLoadedStatus":"success"},"listState":{"list":{},"objectTitle":"","status":"initial","pageType":null,"objectId":null,"page":1,"sortField":"time","sortOrder":1,"categoriesIds":[],"articleTypes":[],"filterData":{},"filterDataLoadedStatus":"initial","pageSize":10},"adsState":{"pageScripts":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2022-07-14T12:59:05+00:00"},"adsId":0,"data":{"scripts":[{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\n","enabled":false},{"pages":["all"],"location":"header","script":"\r\nIts a black car.)
Your journey starts when you leave the doorstep.
Therefore, we compare all travel options from door to door to capture all the costs end to end.
Flights
Compare all airlines worldwide. Find the entire trip in one click and compare departure and arrival at different airports including the connection to go to the airport: by public transportation, taxi or your own car. Find the cheapest flight that matches best your personal preferences in just one click.
Ride share
Join people who are already driving on their own car to the same direction. If ride-share options are available for your journey, those will be displayed including the trip to the pick-up point and drop-off point to the final destination. Ride share options are available in abundance all around Europe.
Bicycle
CombiTrip is the first journey planner that plans fully optimized trips by public transportation (real-time) if you start and/or end your journey with a bicycle. This functionality is currently only available in The Netherlands.
Coach travel
CombiTrip compares all major coach operators worldwide. Coach travel can be very cheap and surprisingly comfortable. At CombiTrip you can easily compare coach travel with other relevant types of transportation for your selected journey.
Trains
Compare train journeys all around Europe and North America. Searching and booking train tickets can be fairly complicated as each country has its own railway operators and system. Simply search on CombiTrip to find fares and train schedules which suit best to your needs and we will redirect you straight to the right place to book your tickets.
Taxi
You can get a taxi straight to the final destination without using other types of transportation. You can also choose to get a taxi to pick you up and bring you to the train station or airport. We provide all the options for you to make the best and optimal choice!
All travel options in one overview
At CombiTrip we aim to provide users with the best objective overview of all their travel options. Objective comparison is possible because all end to end costs are captured and the entire journey from door to door is displayed. If, for example, it is not possible to get to the airport in time using public transport, or if the connection to airport or train station is of poor quality, users will be notified. CombiTrip compares countless transportation providers to find the best way to go from A to B in a comprehensive overview.
CombiTrip is unique
CombiTrip provides you with all the details needed for your entire journey from door to door: comprehensive maps with walking/bicycling/driving routes and detailed information about public transportation (which train, which platform, which direction) to connect to other modes of transportation such as plane, coach or ride share.
Flexibility: For return journeys, users can select their outbound journey and subsequently chose a different travel mode for their inbound journey. Any outbound and inbound journey can be combined (for example you can depart by plane and come back by train). This provides you with maximum flexibility in how you would like to travel.
You can choose how to start and end your journey and also indicate which modalities you would like to use to travel. Your journey will be tailored to your personal preferences
Popular Bus, Train and Flight routes around Europe
Popular routes in The Netherlands
Popular Bus, Train and Flight routes in France
Popular Bus, Train and Flight routes in Germany
Popular Bus, Train and Flight routes in Spain
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria to Dos Hermanas
L Hospitalet de Llobregat to Valencia
Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Santa Coloma de Gramenet
Sants-Montjuïc to Moncloa-Aravaca
Salamanca to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Badajoz to Fuencarral-El Pardo
Sant Andreu de Palomar to Ourense
