French Possession: Apostrophe S and Of, Plus De vs Du
Learn to show possession in French with de and du, and understand when to use the partitive article. Includes examples and practice.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In French, possession is often shown with de, not with an apostrophe s. For example, 'Maria's bag' becomes le sac de Maria, and 'the end of the film' becomes la fin du film. The choice between de and du depends on the gender and number of the noun that follows. This lesson will teach you how to use de and du correctly, including the partitive article, so you can talk about possession and quantities accurately.
By the end, you can…
- use de to show possession between two nouns.
- distinguish between de and du based on the gender and number of the following noun.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
le sac de Maria
Maria's bag
luh sak duh mah-REE
Use de when the possessor is a specific person or thing. Here, de Maria means 'of Maria'.
la fin du film
the end of the film
lah fan doo feelm
Du is the contraction of de + le. Use it with masculine singular nouns like film.
les enfants de la voisine
the neighbor's children
lay zahn-FAHN duh lah vwah-ZEEN
De la is used with feminine singular nouns. Here, voisine is feminine.
Je voudrais du pain.
I would like some bread.
zhuh voo-DREH doo pan
Du here is the partitive article, meaning 'some'. It is used with masculine singular nouns for unspecified quantities.
Elle achète de la confiture.
She buys some jam.
el ah-SHET duh lah kon-fee-TUR
De la is the partitive article for feminine singular nouns. It means 'some'.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
To show possession, use de between two nouns: le livre de Paul (Paul's book). If the second noun is masculine singular, de + le becomes du: le livre du garçon (the boy's book). If the second noun is feminine singular, use de la: le livre de la fille (the girl's book). For plural nouns, use des: le livre des enfants (the children's book). For proper names, just use de: le livre de Marie. The partitive article also uses de, du, de la, des to mean 'some': Je mange du pain (I eat some bread).
When to use it
Use de for possession when you want to say 'of' or 's' in English. The noun following de determines the form: la maison du garçon uses du because garçon takes le, while le livre de la fille uses de la because fille takes la. De + les contracts to des. The gender of the possessed object does not determine this contraction. For the partitive, use du, de la, de l', or des to talk about unspecified quantities, like 'some bread' or 'some water'. Note that after a negative, du, de la, and des usually become de: Je ne mange pas de pain (I don't eat bread).
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
C'est le sac de qui ?
Whose bag is this?seh luh sak duh keeC'est le sac de Marie.
It's Marie's bag.seh luh sak duh mah-REEEt ça, c'est la fin du film ?
And is this the end of the film?ay sah seh lah fan doo feelmOui, et j'achète du pain pour le goûter.
Yes, and I'm buying some bread for the snack.wee ay zhah-SHET doo pan poor luh goo-TAYA little context goes a long way
In French, the partitive article is used more frequently than in English. For example, 'I like bread' is J'aime le pain, using the definite article to express a general preference. In negative sentences, du, de la, and des typically change to de: Je ne veux pas de pain. This is a standard rule in contemporary French, though in informal speech you may hear the partitive kept. Regional variations exist, but the standard forms are widely understood.
One thing to watch for
Using 's to show possession, as in *Maria's sac.
Try this instead: In French, possession is shown with de: le sac de Maria. The apostrophe s is not used. For masculine singular nouns, contract de + le to du: le sac du garçon.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'the dog's bone' in French? (bone = os, masculine)
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l'os du chien
Because chien is masculine singular, de + le contracts to du. L'os du chien is correct. Alternatively, you could say l'os de ce chien if you mean 'this dog's bone', but the standard possessive is du.
2Translate: 'I am eating some bread.'
Show a sample answer
Je mange du pain.
Du is the partitive article for masculine singular nouns. It means 'some'. You could also say Je mange un peu de pain if you want to specify 'a little', but du is the standard.
3What is the difference between 'de' and 'du' in 'le livre de Paul' and 'le livre du garçon'?
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De is used before a proper name or feminine noun, while du is the contraction of de + le used before a masculine singular noun.
In le livre de Paul, de is used because Paul is a proper name. In le livre du garçon, du is used because garçon is masculine singular. Both show possession.
Remember: use de for possession, but contract de + le to du before masculine singular nouns. Use du also as a partitive article to mean 'some'. Practice with common nouns to master the difference.
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