de la
/də la/
The phrase de la in French means de la (phrase).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase de la literally means of the when referring to a feminine singular noun. It is a combination of de, which means of or from and la, the feminine form of the definite article the.
How does it change in a sentence?
While de la is used for feminine singular nouns, the masculine singular form of of the is du. If the following feminine noun begins with a vowel or a silent h, de la changes to de l'. For both masculine and feminine plural nouns, the form for of the is des.
How do you pronounce it?
/də la/
Did you know?
- The word la is actually a shortened version of the Latin word illam, which originally meant 'that' or 'that one'.
- In French, de la is often used as a partitive article to describe an unspecified quantity, such as 'some' water or 'some' patience.
- While de la is used for feminine nouns, the masculine equivalent du is actually a contraction of de le, which is forbidden in standard French.
Examples in context
- Ces étudiants sont la crème de la crème de notre école.These students are the crème de la crème of our school.This sentence is useful for seeing how to use the phrase de la in the expression crème de la crème.Tatoeba #357689 by sysko, translation #357688 by sysko
- J'ai acheté de la salade pour la soirée.I bought some salad for the party.
- Il vient de la boulangerie avec du pain frais.He comes from the bakery with fresh bread.
- Je veux boire de la tisane avant d'aller me coucher.I want to drink some herbal tea before going to bed.
- Je voudrais de la soupe, s'il vous plaît.I would like some soup, please.
- Il y a de la musique dans la rue.There is music in the street.
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are preparing a meal together.
- HugoManon, est-ce qu'il reste de la farine ?Manon, is there any flour left?
- ManonOui, il y en a dans le placard.Yes, there is some in the cupboard.
- HugoSuper, je vais préparer le gâteau.Great, I'm going to prepare the cake.
- ManonD'accord, je t'aide avec la cuisine.Okay, I'll help you with the cooking.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry de la, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, la, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
