Partitive vs Definite

[real bridge]

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De la vs la

[sand ledge]

you need to use the partitive article « de la » with « confiture », since the English translation is only "...with jam"

if it was "...with the jam", then you'd need to use the definite article « la »

[void agate]

But “la confiture” can mean both “the jam” and just “jam”

[sand ledge]

• Je veux la confiture. ("I want the jam.")
• Je veux de la confiture. ("I want (some) jam.")
  it all depends on the article before the noun

[void agate]

“Je prends le thé”

I’m having tea

So why is this different

[trail rampart]

This is more about the use cases of the definite and partitive articles being different in French compared to English: French tends to use the definite articlein more situations than English does.

In this case you can think of "prendre le thé" as a fixed expression, where "le thé" is referred to as a general concept rather than this specific tea

[void agate]

It’s just I was told that “Je prends le thé” means both “Im having tea” AND “I’m heaving the tea”

[sand ledge]

actually, that means "I'm having the tea"
here's the difference between indefinite, definite, and partitive articles

• we use indefinite articles (un, une, and des) when we are talking about something that is not specific

  • e.g. Il mange un croissant. (we are talking about any croissant)

• we use definite articles (le, la, l', and les) when we are talking about a specific thing

  • e.g. Il mange le croissant. (we are talking about a specific croissant)

• we use partitive articles (du, de la, de l', and des) when we are talking about a part or a portion of something (kind of like saying "some bread" or "some jam" in English)

  • e.g... Il mange du poulet.

it can be a bit confusing since partitive and definite articles tend to look a bit similar

[void agate]

No actually wait I was told that “je prends le thé” can mean both it just depends on context

Here

[velvet bough]

It should be noted that « prendre le thé » appears in contexts where the noun is specified (le thé au jasmin, le thé que tu as fait) or where a choice has already been mentioned and you’re choosing (je prends le thé [de toutes les autres boissons que tu as proposées])

[velvet bough]

prendre is not a verb of opinion

[void agate]

Oh my I’m so confused now 😭

[velvet bough]

Verbs of opinion describe, well, opinion. So verbs like aimer (love), détester (dislike), préférer (prefer)

[void agate]

I see

[velvet bough]

Prendre (take) doesn’t imply an opinion

[void agate]

That’s why you can say “je prends le thé”

But manger isn’t opinion either

so why do you need to say “de la confiture”

[velvet bough]

because it’s not opinion

[velvet bough]

Here

[void agate]

yeah neither is prendre

[void agate]

I get it but it’s also kind of confusing

[velvet bough]

For example, I usually encounter « je prends le café » in contexts where we’re at a shop where there’s a multitude of drinks and we’re choosing a specific drink

[velvet bough]

Hence why it says « de la brioche »

Just like with « je prends le thé », « je mange la brioche » appears in contexts where the noun is specified (la brioche que Brendan a achetée) or where it represents choosing between a multitude of options (je mange la brioche [de tous les autres repas que tu m’as offerts])

[void agate]

Here. What is wrong with taking out the “de”. Manger is not a verb of opinion and no amount is specified.

[velvet bough]

Is « la confiture » specific in this case? No, therefore we use the partitive.

The definite article in that screenshot you sent with Albatros only happens with verbs of opinion like aimer, « j’aime le thé ». In any other circumstance – unless the noun is specified and/or represents choosing one option out of several that had been already mentioned – you put the partitive.

J’aime la viande mais ce matin je préfère manger du poisson.

[real bridge]

Partitive vs Definite

Partitive vs Definite

[void agate]

I’m starting to get it now

[velvet bough]

It does take a while to get used to

[feral sand]

@glad cipher tu peux répondre aux questions dans les salles-de-classe directement dans les fils créés par notre bot (on fait pour garder bien propre la salle de classe principale :))

[glad cipher]

Ok