Sorting game

Du, de la, de l' or des? Sort foods by their partitive

Du pain, de la confiture, de l'eau, des œufs: sort sixteen foods by the partitive article they take, based on gender, a vowel or the plural.

In short

For "some", French uses du (masculine), de la (feminine), de l' (before a vowel or silent h) and des (plural): du pain, de la soupe, de l'eau, des pommes. The choice depends only on the noun's gender, first letter and number.

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Bread, jam, water, eggs and tea arranged on a kitchen table.
Name breakfast foods with du, de la, de l’ and des. Illustration: Atelier

Sort the foods

Tap a word, then the box it belongs in.

When do you use du, de la, de l’ or des?

Partitive at a glance
NounSomeNot any
le paindu painpas de pain
la soupede la soupepas de soupe
l'eaude l'eaupas d'eau
les œufsdes œufspas d'œufs

After a negative, all four become de (or d'): Je ne mange pas de viande. After quantities too: beaucoup de pain, un kilo de pommes. But with verbs of liking, use the definite article: J'aime le pain (bread in general).

Au petit-déjeuner
  1. Hôte

    Tu veux du café ou du thé ?

    Do you want coffee or tea?

  2. Toi

    Du thé, s'il te plaît. Et je prendrais bien de la confiture.

    Tea, please. And I'd love some jam.

  3. Hôte

    Il n'y a plus de confiture, mais il y a du miel !

    There's no jam left, but there's honey!

  • Je veux de le pain.Je veux du pain.

    De + le contracts to du.

  • Je ne mange pas de la viande.Je ne mange pas de viande.

    After a negative: de.

Question 1No account needed
"some water"

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

de l'eau. Before a vowel: de l'. Check it in the text above.

Question 2No account needed
"I don't drink milk."

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Je ne bois pas de lait.. Negative + de. Check it in the text above.