Du De la Des De -When And How To Use Them In French

"He who fears suffering is already suffering that which he fears"

La Fontaine.

Hello. If you happened to stumble to this article, you are probably like the hundreds of people in the world, including me, it seems like there is not place to give you a quick and precise description about when to use “de” “des” “de la” and “du” without requiring you to take a costly French course. Well your in luck today because I will give you a brief overview of when you should use  “de” “des” “de la” and “du”.

Du- It is masculine and is used when the amount is not specified and means “some”.

              Ex. Je ne mange pas du jambon     ( I do not eat ham)

In that case, you are stating that you do not eat ham and doesn't specify how much ham but only specifies that you do not like it.

Jambon is masculine, and in this case, it’s plural and does not specify on the amount

(Note: Du is actually de + le)

De la- de la is used just like du. However, it is for feminine subjects. De la is still plural and does not specify on the a
mount. In English it would be “some”.

Ex. Je mange de la creme ( I eat cream)



De- de is basically used in a negative sentence.

Ex. Pas de soleil ( No sun)

De can also be used when referring to the amount of something.

For Example, Je mange de la kilo de sucre.  
                     I    ate       a    kilo  OF sugar


Des- The same as De and De La but is the plural form. There is a number attached to the amount and can be specific on the amount given.

Ex. J’aime des noisettes               (I like Hazelnuts)

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