Difficulty with de/d' vs de + article variations

J. L.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Difficulty with de/d' vs de + article variations

In the discussion following several of the lessons, there are often questions like Donna's. And, without being unkind to the wonderful moderators/teachers,  in NONE of the answers had I seen a really 'eureka' moment of clarification.

And then I searched THE SITE  and came across this amazing lesson!

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/de-vs-du-de-la-des-verbs/.

It is brilliant and clears up so much. I think that lesson should be included as a ' 'highlighted related lesson'' to this one and others like ' avoir peur'.

Additionally, in the lesson quoted above there is coverage of phrases meaning  "all/specific/adjectivally modified" nouns.

Two great examples of 'avoir envie' are given.

" Il a envie de bon chocolat. He wants (some) good chocolate."

"Il a envie du bon chocolat que tu m’as donné. He wants the good chocolate that you gave me."

Please add or indicate why NOT a similar distinction for the very common 'avoir besoin'.

You have

 "J’ai besoin de bonnes chaussures. I need (some) good shoes."

If I were to say to a store clerk "I need (the) special shoes with the orthopedic lifts" would I say ;

 "J’ai besoin des  chaussures spéciales  avec orthopédie."

Merci! Looking forward to the answer.

Asked 5 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Yes, Laura's page gives a very good summary of that topic. Laura is also somehow associated with kwiziq, so it may be possible to link to her page in the kwiziq lesson or incorporate it.

Re your question about avoir besoin de: it works just as avoir envie de.

GruffNative French expert teacher in Kwiziq

Hi Jameson - thanks for your feedback about these difficulties. We're having a think about how to solve this case and cases like it as intelligently as possible (which is the philosophy underpinning Kwiziq). I'm discussing this with our linguists and engineers. Much appreciated!

Jean d.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

I have this question too. Thank you for posting.

However, I found the link you included to still be very confusing.

I have a very hard time keeping track of all the lessons on this website where I need to use de or du/de la/des.

J. L. asked:View original

Difficulty with de/d' vs de + article variations

In the discussion following several of the lessons, there are often questions like Donna's. And, without being unkind to the wonderful moderators/teachers,  in NONE of the answers had I seen a really 'eureka' moment of clarification.

And then I searched THE SITE  and came across this amazing lesson!

https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/de-vs-du-de-la-des-verbs/.

It is brilliant and clears up so much. I think that lesson should be included as a ' 'highlighted related lesson'' to this one and others like ' avoir peur'.

Additionally, in the lesson quoted above there is coverage of phrases meaning  "all/specific/adjectivally modified" nouns.

Two great examples of 'avoir envie' are given.

" Il a envie de bon chocolat. He wants (some) good chocolate."

"Il a envie du bon chocolat que tu m’as donné. He wants the good chocolate that you gave me."

Please add or indicate why NOT a similar distinction for the very common 'avoir besoin'.

You have

 "J’ai besoin de bonnes chaussures. I need (some) good shoes."

If I were to say to a store clerk "I need (the) special shoes with the orthopedic lifts" would I say ;

 "J’ai besoin des  chaussures spéciales  avec orthopédie."

Merci! Looking forward to the answer.

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