When is it appropriate to use d’ instead of de?

That1A0Kwiziq community member

When is it appropriate to use d’ instead of de?

Asked 6 years ago
ChrisC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
You use "d'" whenever the next word starts with a vowel. This works for all words ending on the letter "e" when the next word starts with a vowel and is called elision. Here is the corresponding lesson: https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/contraction/l-elision-elision -- Chris.
AurélieKwiziq team member
Attention! Chris is correct about elision BUT it does not apply to "all words ending in -e", but only pronouns and prepositions (you cannot apply elision on nouns or adjectives for example!) Bonne journée !
ChrisC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Yes, thank you, Aurélie. I forgot about that. To augment this with an example: "Notre évaluation va commencer tout de suite." and NOT "Notr' évaluation.....". -- Chris (not a native speaker).
That1A0Kwiziq community member
Thanks Chris! Spanish has always been my area of expertise and I thought why not take a shot at French.
AurélieKwiziq team member
Merci pour cet exemple Chris :)
SagarB1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Bonjour, tout le monde.

I have a quick question on the use of 'de' to denote ownership. If I wish to say:"The student's pen", where the student in question happens to be female, would it be correct to say:

"Le stylo d'étudiante" ?

When is it appropriate to use d’ instead of de?

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