French Articles
le, la, les, du, de la, des, de, --

A.  le, la, les :

·          refer to a definite person, thing, or idea and are translated by "the":

o        Elle a commenté le film, le médecin, et les pensées du médecin.
She commented on the film, the doctor, and the doctor’s thoughts.

·         or to a thing in general, an abstract idea, or all of a group and  is not translated:

o        J’aime les pommes, la liberté, et les personnes intéressantes.
I like apples, freedom, and interesting people.

B.  du, de la, des, un

·        du, de la, des refer to an indefinite quantity, “some,” and are often not translated. Un is translated literally.:

o       As-tu des amis en France.
Do you have friends (some friends) in France ?

·       du, de la, des, and un are replaced by “de”:

o       when they precede the direct object of a negative verb:

§         Nous n’avons pas de chance. As-tu une voiture?  Non je n'en ai pas une.
We don’t have any luck.  Do you have a car? No I do not have one.

o       when they precede a plural adjective (that precedes the noun):

§         Elle a de bons parents.

Vocabulaire: la vérité, trompeur, la déception, la vague, la mer

1) Give me time
 

2) The desk is in front of the lamp.
 

3) Truth (in general) is deceptive

4) Life is wonderful.
 

5) The student's disappointment
 

6) There are waves in the sea.

C.  After the preposition “de” (beaucoup de, parler de, etc.):

·        to express an indefinite quantity, add nothing :

o       Cette famille exprime beaucoup d’amour.
This family expresses a lot of love.

o       Ils rêvent de dîners magnifiques.
They are dreaming of magnificent dinners.

7) She has grand ideas.
 

8) We haven't any time.
 

9) They don't want any coffee.
 

10) These words have bad connotations.
 

11) This is not a problem.