A lengthy explanation on the choice of articles in French...

NOTE: Use this "guide" to help make visual sense of the written explanation below:

files.me.com/brooklynsam/o386u1

In French, all nouns require an article. There are the three major types of articles: indefinite, definite, and partitive.

Indefinite articles (un/une/des) work exactly the same way as "a" or "some" in English. They are used to describe something non-specific.
"I need a book to bear down on."
"Is there a bakery near here?"



Definite articles (le/la/les - and of course l' if the noun begins with a vowel):
Step 1 with definite articles is to understand that they work the same way as "the" in English:
"Do you have the book for this course?"
"Look at the board, the answer is there"

and 80% of the time, the choice of articles comes down to this same choice we make in English ("the" vs. "a"), just keeping in mind that we often drop "some" when "des" is neccessary to retain in French.

Step 2 with definite articles is to understand that they are also used to describe the "general idea of something", whereas we leave out the article altogether in English.
I study chemistry. = J'étudie la chimie.
I'm watching television. = Je regarde la télévision.

Definite articles are also always used with verbs of preference (aimer, préférer, détester, etc.) - a helpful thing to know because it's so easy. With a verb of preference, the choice of article is clear - it will be one of the definite articles!

Then, there are the partitive articles (du/de la/des - and de l' if the noun begins with a vowel). We don't have the partitive articles in English, but they can be somewhat understood as the concept of "some".
"I often buy (some) bread at the awesome bakery near my house when I plan on making a special meal."
"I don't eat (some/"my share of") meat."

You will almost always use the partitive articles with verbs of consumption (acheter, manger, and even something that doesn't seem like consumption, but is, like "écouter" - when you listen to music, you are consuming it, for example).
You can read more about the partitive on page 20 of the textbook, but don't let the further explanation on page 21 confuse you.

The "negative" column of the big chart of articles should be understood like this:

-Indefinite articles change to "de" in the negative - this is the famous:
Est-ce que tu as une soeur?/Non, je n'ai pas DE soeur.

-Partitive articles also change to "de" in the negative:
"Est-ce que tu manges de la viande?/Non, je ne mange pas DE viande."

-Definite articles stay the same. This is KINDA how it works in English. "Do you have the book for this class? No, I don't have the book for this class." (no change)

The main idea here is switch to "de" in the negative, except for with definite articles, in which case they stay the same.

There is also another way of looking at all of this, which is:
Do I mean ALL of the concept being referred to or just part of it.
Definite articles = the whole thing
Partitive articles = part of the whole

The fact that one uses definite articles with verbs of preference is no coincidence. When you like or dislike something, it is usually ALL of it...or the "general idea" of it - either way, a definite article.
J'aime le chocolat. (ALL of it!)
Je déteste les abricots. (all of them!)

Similarly, it is also no coincidence that one uses the partitive articles with verbs of consumption. When you consume something, it is usually a part of the whole, not the whole thing. You don't eat all of the steak available in the restaurant, just a part of it, for example. So, you use the partitive with verbs of consumption.

Sometimes, though, you have neither a verb or preference nor a verb of consumption. In that case, it comes down to "part of the whole vs. all of it" decision. Avoir, for example, is neither a verb of consumption neither a verb of preference...but when you have something, it's usually a part of the whole. "She has patience", for example, requires the use of the partitive in French because she has "her share" of patience. I also have some, you have some as well, Barack Obama has some as well, and so on. "Elle a de la patience"

The choices between these three types of articles isn't always easy. The thought process should go something like this, in order:

1-negative or positive? if negative, then head directly to the negative column, which usually means the choice is "de"
2-what type of verb - consumption or preference? If consumption, then use the partitive. If preference, use the definite articles.
3-if neither of those types of verbs, think about "do i mean all of the concept being referred to or just part of it?" in which case you know to either you use the definite or partitive articles respectively.

The one thing that supersedes all of these choices for articles is an expression of quantity. In this case, the article is like "of" in English..."of" and NOTHING ELSE.

Common expressions of quantity are (more on bottom of page 20 of the textbook):
beaucoup de - the most common one!
peu de
une tranche de
un verre de
une bouteille de
With expressions like this, it's easy: always "de" and nothing else! NEVER: "beaucoup du", "beaucoup des", etc.

The partitive exists for things that aren't really countable. For example, "cheese" and "meat" aren't really countable. If you have a block of cheese, how much cheese is it? Who knows...it's just "cheese" or "(some) cheese". That's why you say "les Français achètent du pain presque tous les jours à la boulangerie." How much bread? It varies...and isn't really measurable/countable.

But, for example, baguettes, specifically, ARE countable. 1, 2, 3 baguettes. With countable quantities (many fruits, for example are countable - oranges, apples, etc.), you have the option of using an indefinite article. It's entirely possible to say: "Je mange une orange" because oranges are countable, or "J'achète une baguette" b/c baguettes are countable. However, it's impossible to say "je mange un pain" because bread, as a concept, isn't countable...you can't eat "a" bread.

The "Rappel! Rappel!" at the bottom of page 22 has a good summary of all of this as well.

I always explain that, because this is such intense grammar, I don't expect my students, even after two lessons focusing on it, to walk away having mastered it. However, getting a solid foundation in articles and getting used to the idea of how to choose which article is a great way to move forward. Practice it as much as you can and I'll continually revisit this idea throughout the rest of the course and you'll walk away from it at least making much more intelligent choices as to which article to choose and when, etc.