💧

How to Say ‘Water’ in French

De l'eau

duh l' oh

[duh l' oh]

💬 Usage Tip: French uses de l' for an unspecified amount of something, where English uses nothing at all. L' is la shortened before a vowel and can't stand alone.

Phrase Breakdown

[duh]

some (partitive)

With 'l'' forms the partitive 'de l'', meaning 'some' for uncountable things.

Example

Je voudrais de la soupe.

I would like some soup.

[l']

the

Used before singular when the item is known.

Example

L'homme est là.

The man is there.

eau

[oh]

water

Means 'water'.

Example

Dans l'eau, la dose doit être correcte.

In the water, the dose must be correct.

Guides for French learners

Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.Hello in French: Greetings, Good Evening and How to Answer "How Are You?"How to say hello in French, when to switch to good evening, how to ask how are you and what to answer, with tu vs vous and native audio.

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