French Vocabulary
Food, Drinks & the Partitive Article
Essential vocabulary for food and beverages, introduced alongside the partitive articles du, de la, de l’, and des.
Start Interactive LessonLesson Summary
Essential vocabulary for food and beverages, introduced alongside the partitive articles du, de la, de l’, and des.
Vocabulary
Expressing Quantities
In French, when talking about an unspecified amount of food or drink, the partitive articles du, de la, de l’, and des are used. They correspond to the English ‘some’ or an omitted article. The choice depends on the gender and number of the noun, as well as whether it begins with a vowel sound. For the underlying article system, see definite articles.
Partitive Articles
| Article | Used with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| du | masculine singular | du pain (some bread) |
| de la | feminine singular | de la viande (some meat) |
| de l’ | singular before vowel or silent h | de l’eau (some water) |
| des | plural (any gender) | des fruits (some fruit) |
Common Food Vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le pain | bread |
| le fromage | cheese |
| le riz | rice |
| les pâtes (f pl) | pasta |
| la viande | meat |
| le poisson | fish |
| les légumes (m pl) | vegetables |
| les fruits (m pl) | fruit |
| la salade | salad |
| le gâteau | cake |
| le chocolat | chocolate |
| la glace | ice cream |
Common Drink Vocabulary
| French | English |
|---|---|
| l’eau (f) | water |
| le café | coffee |
| le thé | tea |
| le lait | milk |
| le jus d’orange | orange juice |
| le vin | wine |
| la bière | beer |
Using Partitive Articles in Context
To express that you eat or drink something, combine a verb such as manger (to eat) or boire (to drink) with the partitive article and the noun:
- Je mange du pain et de la salade. (I eat some bread and salad.)
- Il boit de l’eau. (He drinks water.)
- Nous prenons des fruits. (We have some fruit.)
The negative form changes the partitive to de: Je ne mange pas de viande. (I don’t eat meat.) For negation rules, see basic negation. For a full treatment of partitive articles and their behaviour after expressions of quantity, see quantity and partitive articles.
Examples
- Au petit-déjeuner, je prends du café et du pain.At breakfast, I have coffee and bread. Note du café (masculine) and du pain (masculine).
- Elle mange de la salade et des légumes.She eats salad and vegetables. De la salade (feminine) and des légumes (plural).
Related searches
These are the main phrases this lesson covers: