Il boit de l'eau avec du miel.

Questions & Answers about Il boit de l'eau avec du miel.

Why does the sentence use de l' before eau?
In French, you need a partitive article (meaning "some") before uncountable nouns like water. Even though eau (water) is a feminine word, it starts with a vowel, so the feminine article de la drops its "a" and contracts into de l' to make it easier to pronounce.
Where does the word du come from in du miel?
Du is the partitive article for masculine nouns. It is a mandatory combination of de + le. Because miel (honey) is a masculine word, you cannot say "de le miel" — it always shrinks down into du miel.
Could I just say Il boit eau avec miel without the articles?
No, French almost never leaves nouns completely bare. Even if we just say "He drinks water with honey" in English without the word "some", French requires the partitive articles (de l' and du) to show you are talking about an unspecified quantity of food or drink.
What verb is boit from, and is the "t" pronounced?
Boit comes from the irregular verb boire (to drink). For the pronouns il (he), elle (she), or on (we/one), the correct form is boit. Like many final consonants in French, the "t" at the end is completely silent.

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