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Using de After Negatives and Quantities

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise Using de After Negatives and Quantities for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). After a negative or an expression of quantity, de replaces the article, shortening to d' before a vowel.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

After a negative and after an expression of quantity, the partitive article collapses to a plain de. This is a rule with almost no exceptions and it is examined constantly.

After a negative, du, de la and des all become de. J'ai du pain becomes je n'ai pas de pain. J'ai des amis becomes je n'ai pas d'amis, with de shortening to d' before a vowel.

After an expression of quantity, the same thing happens. Beaucoup de pain, un peu de fromage, trop de travail, assez d'argent — every one takes plain de regardless of the noun's gender or number. The single exception is after être: ce n'est pas du pain keeps the full form.

Revision notes

After negatives

Du, de la and des all become de after a negative.

J'ai du pain becomes je n'ai pas de pain. Je bois de la limonade becomes je ne bois pas de limonade. J'ai des amis becomes je n'ai pas d'amis, shortening before the vowel.

After quantities

Beaucoup de, un peu de, trop de, assez de, plus de, moins de all take plain de.

Beaucoup de pain, un peu de fromage, trop de travail. The gender and number of the noun make no difference — it is always de.

The exception after être

After the verb être in a negative, the full partitive is kept.

Ce n'est pas du pain — it is not bread. This is the one place the rule does not apply, and it is worth knowing because it appears in reading texts.

Key points

  • Du, de la and des become de after a negative.
  • De shortens to d' before a vowel.
  • Expressions of quantity take plain de.
  • Beaucoup de and un peu de follow this rule.
  • Gender and number make no difference.
  • After être the full partitive is kept.

Worked examples

Example 1

Make this negative: J'ai du pain. [2 marks]

Working

Je n'ai pas de painsurround the verb with ne and pas
Du becomes de after the negativeapply the partitive rule

Example 2

Translate: a lot of homework. [2 marks]

Working

beaucoup de devoirsuse beaucoup with plain de
De is used rather than des, because expressions of quantity always take plain deexplain the rule

Example 3

Make this negative: J'ai des amis. [2 marks]

Working

Je n'ai pas d'amissurround the verb with ne and pas
Des becomes de, which shortens to d' before the vowel in amisapply the rule and the elision

Common mistakes

  • Keeping du or des after a negative.

    They collapse to de: pas de pain, not pas du pain.

  • Using des after beaucoup.

    It is beaucoup de, never beaucoup des.

  • Forgetting to shorten before a vowel.

    De becomes d' before a vowel: pas d'amis.

  • Applying the rule after être.

    Ce n'est pas du pain keeps the full form.

Exam tips

  • Collapse du, de la and des to de after any negative.
  • Use plain de after every expression of quantity.
  • Shorten to d' before a vowel.
  • Remember the être exception.

Key terms

Negative
A structure using ne and pas, triggering the de rule.
Expression of quantity
A phrase such as beaucoup or un peu, taking de.
Elision
Shortening de to d' before a vowel.
Partitive
The article that collapses to de in these structures.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.