Grammar: Quantity

Section: Expressing Quantity using Basic Quantity Expressions

The French language uses a number of expressions to indicate quantity or amount. Common ones include: beaucoup de (a lot of), un peu de (a little), plus de (more), and moins de (less).
Quantity expressions are typically followed by a noun. For instance, “beaucoup de personnes” (a lot of people) or “un peu de temps” (a little time).
De is necessary in quantity expressions even when the noun that follows is singular.

Section: Understanding the Partitive Article to Indicate Quantity

The French partitive article is used in French to express some or any amount of a quantity. It is often translated as ‘some’ or ‘any’ in English.
The partitive article changes according to the gender and number of the noun it precedes: du (masculine singular), de la (feminine singular), de l’ (before a vowel or h mute), and des (plural).
For example, to say ‘some milk’, you would say “du lait”; ‘some apples’ would be “des pommes”; and ‘some water’ would be “de l’eau”.

Section: Using Quantity Expressions with Countable and Uncountable Nouns

Certain quantity expressions are used in French with countable nouns (individual items that can be counted), such as plusieurs (several), and quelques (a few).
Some expressions work better with uncountable nouns (mass nouns that cannot be counted), like beaucoup de (a lot of), un peu de (a little), and tant de (so much).
For instance, one would say “plusieurs livres” (several books), “quelques idées” (a few ideas), but “beaucoup d’eau” (a lot of water).

Section: Using Quantifiers in Negative sentences

In negative sentences, the partitive article and the indefinite articles un, une, des become de or d’ regardless of the noun. For instance, “Je n’ai pas de soeur” (I don’t have a sister).
This rule does not apply if the verb is être. For example, “Ce n’est pas une pomme” (It is not an apple).

Section: Expressing Large Quantities

To express large quantities, the French use “un tas de” (a lot/lots of), “une tonne de” (tons of), or “plein de” (lots of, full of).
These expressions are often used in informal French and are always followed by “de”. For instance, “un tas de problèmes” (a lot of problems) or “une tonne de bonheur” (tons of happiness).