When the noun is unspecific, de stands alone after adjectives and prepositional phrases as well as after most adverbs of quantity and containers (see exceptions).
However, if the noun after de refers to specific people or things (the word "the" may be needed in English), de must be used with the definite article.
| Unspecific | Specific |
| Il y a beaucoup de problèmes. There are a lot of problems. |
Beaucoup des problèmes sont graves. A lot of the problems are serious. (specific or previously mentioned problems) |
| Peu d'étudiants sont ici. Few students are here. |
Peu des étudiants de Thierry sont ici.
Few of Thierry's students are here. (not students in general, but specifically Thierry's students) |
|
J'ai mangé moins de soupe que Lucie. I ate less soup than Lucie. |
Le repas que Lucie a préparé est délicieux, mais j'ai mangé moins
de la soupe que toi. The meal that Lucie made is delicious, but I ate less of the soup than you. (soup from this previously mentioned meal) |
| J'aimerais un verre de jus. I'd like a glass of juice. |
J'aimerais un verre du jus que tu as
apporté. I'd like a glass of the juice that you brought. (specifically what you brought) |
| La chambre est pleine de vêtements. The bedroom is full of clothes. (clothes in general) |
La chambre est pleine des vêtements de David. The bedroom is full of David's clothes. (specifically his clothes) |
| Les tables sont couvertes de gâteaux. The tables are covered in cakes. (a bunch of cakes) |
Les tables sont couvertes des gâteaux dont je t'ai
parlé. The tables are covered in the cakes that I told you about. (specifically those cakes) |
| J'ai acheté du jus au lieu de vin. I bought juice instead of wine. |
J'ai acheté du jus au lieu du vin que tu
as recommandé. I bought juice instead of the wine you recommended. (specifically that wine) |
| J'aimerais te parler au sujet d'écologie. I'd like to talk to you about ecology. |
J'aimerais te parler au sujet de
l'écologie de paysage. I'd like to talk to you about landscape ecology. (specifically that aspect) |
| Test on de vs du, de la, des |
