les salades vs des salades

Question

Pourquoi "Moi aussi j'aime les salades"  Elle référence des salades en générale non?  Pas les salades spécifique?cca

Accepted Answer

Hi Christopher,
In -
'Moi aussi, j'aime les salades '
she doesn't specify which salads she likes, she just like salads (supposing all of them) so you use 'les'.
Hope this helps!

Answer

Isn't des the indefinite article and les the definite??  If she is saying she likes them all in general should it be des just like in when Jacques says "je préfère manger des salades composées"  It makes sense that he is not pointing to a couple of salades on a table. He is speaking in general.  So why would she not be speaking in general too ... or is it les salades because some have been listed in the previous sentence?

Answer

Hi Christopher,
In the case of manger you have to use the partitive   'des'   otherwise it sounds as the person prefers eating all the composed salads in the world.
Very puzzling I know ...
But i twould be -
J'aime/Je préfère les salades composées.
Hope this helps!