Débutant (merci de me corriger) | French - Learn French in a friendly community! | Page 1

toxic vaultBOT Jul 17, 2025, 1:37 AM

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lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 1:38 AM

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First question, yes
Second question, no, it depends on context

halcyon grove Jul 17, 2025, 1:38 AM

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ty : )

lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 1:40 AM

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Woke up with a sore throat? « J’ai besoin des médicaments » sounds weird because you’ve not yet said if you have a specific set of drugs to treat a sore throat.

Went to the doctor and got some prescription pills to treat said sore throat? « J’ai besoin des médicaments » makes sense because you’re talking about the meds the doctor gave you and not about any other meds.

grand gulch Jul 17, 2025, 2:33 AM

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@lunar copper would you say de = not specific not all only a subset of the all things in the group, des = specific but still a subset of things in the group , les = whole group

lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 2:35 AM

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grand gulch <@695647039362433086> would you say de = not specific not all only a subset of ...

no

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The special case here is because of the preposition « de » meeting with the partitive article

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First off, you have the general indefinite articles (of which the partitives are a part) like « un, une, du, de la, des » then the specific definite articles « le, la, les »

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When you have a partitive article meeting with the preposition « de », the partitive disappears. At heart, « j'ai besoin de médicaments » is « j'ai besoin de + des médicaments » where « de » is a preposition and « des » is the plural indefinite article

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If I substitute or remove that preposition, the indefinite article will return

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J'ai besoin de médicaments
=> Je veux des médicaments
=> Je pense à des médicaments
=> Je me renseigne sur des médicaments

grand gulch Jul 17, 2025, 2:40 AM

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Gotcha so it would never be les I thought that was just because “avoir besoin” always uses de or des ( de + les) but it would remain des even with vouloir for example

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So then Je veux les médicaments would be wrong ?

lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 2:44 AM

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grand gulch So then Je veux les médicaments would be wrong ?

No, it can be right

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That's if you have a partitive

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If you have a definite article, then no change

grand gulch Jul 17, 2025, 2:45 AM

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Gotcha

lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 2:45 AM

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J'ai besoin des médicaments (de + les médicaments)
=> Je veux les médicaments
=> Je pense aux médicaments
=> Je me renseigne sur les médicaments

grand gulch Jul 17, 2025, 2:45 AM

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My question was just abt difference in de , des and les

grand gulch Jul 17, 2025, 2:45 AM

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lunar copper J'ai besoin des médicaments (de + les médicaments) => Je veux les médicaments =>...

But this also makes sense!

lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 2:46 AM

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To recap:
J'ai besoin de + des médicaments => J'ai besoin de médicaments
[The indefinite is dropped to avoid « de des »]
J'ai besoin de + les médicaments => J'ai besoin des médicaments
[The definite is allowed to contract with the preposition to form « des »]

grand gulch Jul 17, 2025, 2:46 AM

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Makes senseee

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Thanks!

lunar copper Jul 17, 2025, 2:47 AM

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It does happen in the singular as well

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jsyk

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J'ai besoin de + de l'eau = J'ai besoin d'eau
J'ai besoin de + l'eau = J'ai besoin de l'eau

#Débutant (merci de me corriger)