Why no 'de'?

Duncan G.A2Kwiziq community member

Why no 'de'?

One of my 'test recommended' questions was: Il prend toujours l’avion. - Non, il ________ l'avion

The answer given was: 'ne prend jamais' and my answer 'ne prend jamais de' was marked incorrect.

Why is there no 'de' in this case when the 'vous mangez de la viande' example on this page shows there is?

Asked 5 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Duncan,

In the case of prendre l'avion, (which would translate as - to travel by plane - in English), it could also be, prendre le train  (to travel by train), or prendre le bus ( to travel by bus) you will use a definite article.

In the case of manger de la viande, you use the partitive article as you eat a quantity of meat.

Here are a couple of links to relevant Kwiziq lessons to explain further -

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/article-type/french-definite-articles-les-articles-definis

https://progress.lawlessfrench.com/revision/glossary/article-type/french-partitive-articles-les-articles-partitifs

Hope this helps!

Why no 'de'?

One of my 'test recommended' questions was: Il prend toujours l’avion. - Non, il ________ l'avion

The answer given was: 'ne prend jamais' and my answer 'ne prend jamais de' was marked incorrect.

Why is there no 'de' in this case when the 'vous mangez de la viande' example on this page shows there is?

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