Partitive Articles — Les articles partitifs
Partitive articles are used to express an unspecified quantity of something, equivalent to 'some' or 'any' in English. They are commonly used with food, drinks, and uncountable nouns.
Rules
Du — used before masculine singular nouns (du pain = some bread)
De la — used before feminine singular nouns (de la confiture = some jam)
De l' — used before nouns starting with a vowel or silent 'h' (de l'eau = some water)
Des — used before plural nouns (des fruits = some fruits)
In negative sentences, partitive articles become de/d' (Je ne bois pas de café = I don't drink coffee)
Examples
Je mange du fromage. — I eat some cheese.
Elle boit de la limonade. — She drinks some lemonade.
Nous buvons de l'eau. — We drink some water.
Il achète des légumes. — He buys some vegetables.
Je ne mange pas de viande. — I don't eat meat.
Voulez-vous du thé ? — Would you like some tea?