Grammar
Point: the Partitive
When
you order "some" as opposed to a distinct
number of something, you must use the partitive, which
is a construction built with "of" plus "the".
In French this would be: de + la, de + l',
de + le, or for the plural, de +
les.
De + la for feminine nouns
is left alone;
De + l' for nouns starting with
a vowel is left alone;
De + le for masculine nouns becomes
du;
And for the plural, de + les becomes
des
Examples:
"Je voudrais de la bière."
(I would like some beer)
"Je voudrais de l'eau" (I would
like some water).
"Je voudrais du beurre" (I would
like some butter)
"Je voudrais des haricots verts"
(I would like some green beans)
Vocabulary
for food and drink will be given with the partitive
construction, where applicable, so that you will be
able to use it properly. Where not applicable, as
where you would order a single item (a steak, a glass
of beer), the vocabulary will be given with the indefinite
article (a/an; French un/une) |
