French Language Stack Exchange
French Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [de]

84 questions
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Lâcher prise, c'est (de) ne pas tenir les portes

My transit company currently runs an ad campaign, based on a local show called "Lâcher prise". They want people to behave, i.e. not hold the trains' door open. One of their ad features the line: Lâcher prise, c'est ne pas tenir les portes. I…
Jeffrey
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'Des' before an adjective before a noun

I came across this sentence in an article: Les utilisateurs de jets privés sont donc des gros pollueurs I would have expected the phrase to be 'de gros pollueurs'. Are my expectations too formal? Or does the use of 'des' in fact carry a different…
Tom Adair
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What is the function of "de" in this sentence?

I came across this in the story 'Le Saint Inconnu' by Blaise Cendrars (1937): tout ce menu peuple de métis, pauvre, noble, taciturne, rêveur, superstitieux, artiste, doux, complaisant et sale... What is the de doing? I would have expected to read…
Tom Adair
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What is the meaning of 'de' at the end of this paragraph by Queneau?

From Le Cheval Troyen (1948): Le sourire du cheval devint de plus en plus paternel. 'Allons. Cherchez bien. Une ville fameuse. Devinez. Devinez.' 'Il nous les casse,' dit l'homme entre ses dents. Mais le cheval avait toujours un bon sourire, et les…
Tom Adair
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1 answer

De Bretagne ou de la Bretagne ?

I have come across references to 'les quatre coins de la Bretagne' and 'les falaises de Bretagne'. It seems more usual not to use the definite article in such a situation, but is there a grammatical principle involved ?
Tom Adair
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would "sacs de magasin" be incorrect?

When buying groceries earlier today, the self-serve checkout asked me: Combien de sacs du magasin avez-vous utilisés aujourd'hui? The "du" surprised me. The self-serve checkout, when its language is set to English, asks me "How many store-provided…
silph
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3 answers

Je fais de mon mieux: what is the 'de'?

I have come across the phrase 'Je fais de mon mieux' as the French equivalent of 'I do my best'. What grammatical role is being played by the 'de'?
Tom Adair
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What is 'de' doing in this sentence?

I am looking at a sentence in a novel from 1968. It reads 'C'était ce qu'on pouvait faire de plus miséricordieux'. In English this reads, 'It was the most merciful thing'. I am wondering why the phrase is 'de plus miséricordieux' rather than 'le…
Tom Adair
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How to say "of" vs "of the"?

Is it correct to say that I can use "de" to say "of", in both masculine/feminine and plural? And to use "du, de la, des" to say "of the"? Examples in plural: Le prix de voitures... (the price of cars) Le prix des voitures... (the price of the…
NickG
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Can you say 'elle ne veut pas d'une extension' ?

I came across this in a news report: 'La Russie ne veut pas d'une extension de l'OTAN vers l'est'. Is this correct usage? I thought after 'ne ... pas' you would write 'de' instead of 'une', not in addition to it?
Tom Adair
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Je pique des crises : pourquoi 'des' ?

I read this phrase in a magazine : 'Je pique des crises de nerfs' which I take to mean 'I am afflicted by nervous crises'. I am wondering why it is 'des crises' and not 'de crises' (as it is 'de nerfs' and not 'des nerfs')?
Tom Adair
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`De` after a verb should be put before an uncountable noun?

Acheter de la pomme, manger du pain, bois du vin But Acheter une tasse, boire un verre du vin. Am I understanding correctly?
Artur
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A 'de + plural noun' phrase with 'un' understood

This sentence is from a novel published in 1960: 'C'était le premier jour chaud, un temps à aller enfin à la plage, de ceux qui incitent les élèves des grandes classes de l'école secondaire à ouvrir les capotes raides et craquelées de leurs…
Tom Adair
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Why is "de" used instead of "des" in the following sentence?

Plus vous l’écouterez, plus vous comprendrez de choses. I came across this one in the transcript of text for a podcast, and I am wondering why it is"de choses", not "des choses".
Someone else
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Quand je dois utiliser 'des' et 'de'

Est-ce que quelqu'un peux m'expliquer la difference entry: Je fais des erreurs. Mais quand j'ajoute 'beaucoup' ca change a d(e)? Je fais beaucoup d'erreurs. Pourquoi la phrase suivante est-elle fausse ? Je fais beaucoup des erreurs. | faux Et…
Daniel Stephens
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