Learn French: Vous mélangez les fraises avec beaucoup de sucre pour la confiture. - You mix the strawberries with a lot of sugar for the jam.

Vous mélangez les fraises avec beaucoup de sucre pour la confiture.

You mix the strawberries with a lot of sugar for the jam.

Breakdown of Vous mélangez les fraises avec beaucoup de sucre pour la confiture.

Questions & Answers about Vous mélangez les fraises avec beaucoup de sucre pour la confiture.

Why is it beaucoup de sucre and not beaucoup du sucre?

After expressions of quantity like beaucoup (a lot), you always use de (or d' before a vowel) without the definite article le, la, or les. Even though sugar is normally le sucre or du sucre (some sugar), the quantity rule overrides it, making it just beaucoup de sucre.

Why do we use les in les fraises but just de in beaucoup de sucre?

The strawberries are the specific item you are working with here (the strawberries), so they get the definite article les. However, because the sugar comes directly after a quantity word (beaucoup), it must follow the strict rule of using a plain de without its normal article.

Does vous mélangez mean 'you mix' for one person or a group of people?

It can be either! Vous is used both for a group of people ('you all') and for speaking politely to a single person you do not know well. The verb ending -ez is exactly the same in both cases.

Why is it la confiture for 'the jam'?

Confiture is a feminine noun, so it takes the feminine definite article la. As a helpful spelling trick for A1 learners, almost all French words that end in -ure are feminine!