Learn French: Elle prend un peu de fromage avec beaucoup de pâtes. - She is having a little cheese with a lot of pasta.

Elle prend un peu de fromage avec beaucoup de pâtes.

She is having a little cheese with a lot of pasta.

Breakdown of Elle prend un peu de fromage avec beaucoup de pâtes.

to have (a meal/drink) / to take

Questions & Answers about Elle prend un peu de fromage avec beaucoup de pâtes.

Why is it "un peu de fromage" instead of "un peu du fromage"?

When you use expressions of quantity like un peu de (a little) and beaucoup de (a lot), you drop the usual words for "some" (du, de la, des). The formula is simply the quantity phrase + de + the noun.

Since "pâtes" (pasta) is plural, why isn't it "beaucoup des pâtes"?

The rule for quantity phrases is very strict: de never changes to des just because the noun is plural! It remains beaucoup de, whether the following word is singular or plural.

The English translation says "She is having", but doesn't "prend" mean "takes"?

Yes, the verb prendre literally means "to take". But in French, it is the standard verb to use when you are "having" food or a drink. While you can also use manger (to eat), elle prend is the most natural way to translate "she is having" in the context of a meal.