The Partitive Article “des”

Lisa H.A1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

The Partitive Article “des”

In the lesson on the partitive articles, they are listed as du, de l’, de la and des. When would you use the plural “des?” It seems that with uncountable nouns, you’re always talking about an amount or quantity of something, some sugar, some coffee, etc and would therefore always be singular. 

The example is given of something like “Tu achètes des épinards.” Here, “des” is used because “épinards” is a masculine plural noun. Is this the only time you use “des?” Otherwise, it’s really used as an indefinite article?

Thank you for any help!

Asked 5 years ago
CécileKwiziq team member

Hi Lisa,

'des' can be an indefinite plural article and this Kwiziq lesson will shed light on your query -

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/article-type/indefinite-article

Hope this helps!

The Partitive Article “des”

In the lesson on the partitive articles, they are listed as du, de l’, de la and des. When would you use the plural “des?” It seems that with uncountable nouns, you’re always talking about an amount or quantity of something, some sugar, some coffee, etc and would therefore always be singular. 

The example is given of something like “Tu achètes des épinards.” Here, “des” is used because “épinards” is a masculine plural noun. Is this the only time you use “des?” Otherwise, it’s really used as an indefinite article?

Thank you for any help!

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