du
/dy/
In French, du means "of the".
du is used as a combination of the preposition "of" and the definite article "the".
What does it mean word for word?
The form du is a contraction of the preposition de and the masculine singular definite article le.
Which one should you use?
While du is used for masculine singular nouns, you should use de la for feminine singular nouns. If the noun following "of the" begins with a vowel or a silent "h", you must use de l' instead of du or de la. For both masculine and feminine plural nouns, use des to mean "of the", as du and de la are strictly singular.
How does it change in a sentence?
The form du is the mandatory masculine singular form for "of the".
How do you pronounce it?
/dy/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not use de le to say "of the". You must use the contracted form du.
Did you know?
- While du translates to 'of the', it is also used as a partitive article to mean 'some' when referring to uncountable masculine nouns, such as du pain for 'some bread'.
- In the common spoken idiom du coup, the word du helps create a phrase meaning 'so' or 'as a result' that ignores the literal meaning of possession.
- The form du is a relative of the Spanish del, the Portuguese do, and the Italian del.
Examples in context
- Il a du bagou.He's got the gift of the gab.This sentence uses du to describe having a certain quality.Tatoeba #12777249 by QuentiBc, translation #2811056 by patgfisher
- Sors du camion !Get out of the truck.This sentence uses du to indicate movement out of a vehicle.Tatoeba #4550798 by sacredceltic, translation #2886574 by CK
- Sors du passage !Move out of the way.This sentence uses du to indicate moving out of a specific area.Tatoeba #4550785 by sacredceltic, translation #2886487 by CK
- 1933 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Lucas are talking about a book.
- ManonTu as lu le titre du livre ?Did you read the title of the book?
- LucasOui, mais je ne connais pas l'auteur.Yes, but I don't know the author.
- ManonC'est le style du siècle dernier.It is the style of the last century.
- LucasC'est pour ça qu'il est classique.That is why it is a classic.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry du, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries du, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
