Articles Contractés and Articles Partitifs

Articles Contractés and Articles Partitifs

In this article, we will discuss the differences between Articles Contractés and Articles Partitifs in French.

Definition of Articles Contractés

Let’s start with Articles Contractés. An Article Contracté is a composite of prepositions “à” or “de” with definite articles such as “le” “la” “l’” and “les.” The use of definite articles is important to remember. In French, you cannot refer to a noun without an article. We have exceptions for proper nouns like names of people or cities.

When we use the preposition “à” with the Articles Contracté, the result is “au” for masculine singular. For feminine singular it will be “à la” and “à l’” for vowel singular, and “aux” for plural. When we use the preposition “de” with the Articles Contracté, the result is “du” for masculine singular, “de la” for feminine singular, “de l’” for vowel singular, and “des” for plural.

We use Articles Contracté when we want to say “to the” or “at the” for a particular noun. This depend upon on the context. For instance, “Je vais au bureau” means “I am going to the office,” and “Je suis au bureau” means “I am at the office.”

Definition of Articles Partitifs

Now let’s move on to Articles Partitifs. An Article Partitif is a composite of just the preposition “de” with definite articles such as “le,” “la,” “l’,” and “les.” The use of Partitive Articles is to refer to an imprecise quantity when you cannot express the exact quantity.

The result of using the preposition “de” with Articles Partitifs is “du” for masculine singular, “de la” for feminine singular, “de l’” for vowel singular, and “des” for plural. However, the meaning in English is “some.”

Articles Partitifs are used to refer to an imprecise quantity. For instance, “Je voudrais du café” means “I would like to have some coffee.” We will say “Tu voudrais du jus d’orange” for”You want some orange juice.”

In conclusion, Articles Contractés and Articles Partitifs are essential in French language learning. Understanding their differences and uses is crucial to formulating sentences correctly. Remember that Articles Contractés are used when referring to a specific noun with “to the” or “at the” context. On the other hand, Articles Partitifs are used to refer to an imprecise quantity with “some” context.

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COD and COI : Definition

cod and coi

The DIRECT and INDIRECT OBJECT, also known as COD and COI in French, are two important parts of a sentence. In a sentence, the object is the part that completes the meaning of the sentence, in addition to the subject and the verb.

The difference in between COD and COI

A reminder of the sentence structure is necessary. A sentence is composed of three elements: the subject, the verb, and the object. For example, in the sentence “Je parle français.”, “français” is the object.

In French, there are two types of objects: the Complément d’Objet Direct (COD) and the Complément d’Objet Indirect (COI). To understand both of them, let’s examine the following examples:

Direct Object(Complément d’objet direct)Indirect Object(Complément d’objet indirect)
Jean appelle Sophie Jean téléphone à Sophie

These two sentences have the same meaning, which is that Jean is trying to contact Sophie by phone. In the first sentence, “Sophie” is a direct object complement, while in the second sentence, “Sophie” is an indirect object complement.

A simple rule

The basic rule is simple: if there is a preposition “à” between the verb and the object, then the object is called an indirect object complement (COI). If there is no preposition between the verb and the object, then the object is a direct object complement (COD).

Let’s take some additional examples to better understand:

Sophie donne le cadeau. (Sophie gives the gift.)Sophie donne à Jean. (Sophie gives to Jean)
Vous connaissez Charlotte Lebon ? (Do you know Charlotte Lebon ?)Vous parlez à Charlotte Lebon ? (Do you speak to Charlotte Lebon ?)

In the first two examples, “le cadeau” is the object, but it is a COD in the first sentence and a COI in the second sentence. In the last two examples, “Charlotte Lebon” is the object, but it is a COD in the first sentence and a COI in the second sentence.

So, indirect object complements are always followed by a preposition, while there is no preposition for direct object complements.

Now that you understand the difference between COD and COI, you may be wondering how it works with pronouns. Don’t worry, our next article will cover personal pronouns COD and COI such as le, la, l’ & les & lui leur. Stay tuned!