Contractions with De

At its heart, this rule is about efficiency. French hates having two vowel sounds clash or having redundant syllables. When you combine de with the definite articles le (masculine singular) or les (plural), they create a new word. However, French is a bit picky. It only performs this magic trick with le and les. If you are dealing with la (feminine singular) or l' (words starting with a vowel), the words stay separate. It might seem annoying at first, but it actually reduces the number of syllables you have to pronounce. Imagine you are in a job interview. You want to talk about "the company's project." Instead of saying the clunky le projet de le entreprise (which is wrong anyway because of the vowel), you say le projet de l'entreprise. If it were a masculine department, you would use du. It makes you sound sharp, professional, and fluent. Yes, even native speakers mess this up when they are tired, but catching yourself makes a huge difference in how you are perceived.

1. 1Learning the math of these contractions is the fastest way to get them right every time. Follow these steps to build your phrases:
2. 2Identify your noun: Is it masculine, feminine, or plural?
3. 3Determine if it starts with a vowel or a silent "h."
4. 4Combine de with the correct article:
5. 5de + le = du (Masculine singular)
6. 6de + la = de la (Feminine singular - No change!)
7. 7de + l' = de l' (Singular starting with a vowel - No change!)
8. 8de + les = des (Plural - Always!)
9. 9It is a simple substitution game. If you ever find yourself about to say de le, stop and swap it for du. If you are about to say de les, switch to des. The feminine and vowel forms are your best friends because they let you keep the words exactly as they are. Just remember: du and des are the only "mergers" in this group.

You will encounter these contractions in almost every French sentence. Here are the most common real-world scenarios:

• Possession: To say something belongs to someone or something. "The professor's book" becomes le livre du professeur.
• Origin: Telling someone where you are from. If you are coming from the supermarket, you say Je viens du supermarché.
• Quantities (The Partitive): When you want "some" of something. In a restaurant, you might ask for du pain (some bread) or des frites (some fries).
• Specific Verbs: Many French verbs are followed by de. For example, parler de (to talk about). If you are talking about the film, you say Je parle du film.
• Describing Location: When using expressions like à côté de (next to). "Next to the park" is à côté du parc.

Even the best rules have boundaries. You should avoid these contractions in a few specific cases:

• Proper Names: You never contract de with a person's name. It is le sac de Marie, never le sac du Marie.
• Cities: Most cities do not have articles. You say Je viens de Paris or le plan de Londres.
• The Word "De" as a Pronoun: This is a bit advanced, but if le is acting as a direct object pronoun (meaning "him" or "it"), do not contract it. J'ai envie de le voir (I want to see him) is perfectly correct.
• Negative Sentences: When you say you don't have "any" of something, du and des usually turn into a plain de. Je n'ai pas de pain (I don't have any bread). Think of the negative as a vacuum that sucks the article away!

The most frequent slip-up for beginners is forgetting that des is the plural of de + les. Many people try to say de les amis, but your ears should start ringing when you hear that! Another classic is over-correcting and trying to turn de la into something else. De la is perfect just the way it is. Also, watch out for the "vowel rule." If a masculine noun starts with a vowel, like ordinateur (computer), the vowel rule wins. You use de l'ordinateur, not du ordinateur. It's like a game of rock-paper-scissors where the vowel always beats the contraction. Don't worry if you trip up; think of it like learning to ride a bike—eventually, du will just feel more natural than de le.

It is easy to confuse de contractions with à contractions. While de + le becomes du, the preposition à (to/at) plus le becomes au. They follow the exact same logic, but they mean different things. Je vais au café (I am going to the cafe) versus Je viens du café (I am coming from the cafe). Also, don't confuse the contraction des with the indefinite article des. They look identical! Je vois des voitures (I see some cars) uses an indefinite article, while Je parle des voitures (I am talking about the cars) uses a contraction. The context of the verb will usually tell you which one is which.