Question 1

Why is it beaucoup de sucre instead of beaucoup du sucre?

Accepted Answer

In French, expressions of quantity like beaucoup (a lot) and un peu (a little) are followed by just de or d'. Even though you might normally say du sucre (some sugar), the rule changes after a quantity word. That is why it is beaucoup de sucre and un peu de lait.

Question 2

Is un peu another quantity word like beaucoup?

Accepted Answer

Yes! Un peu means "a little". Just like beaucoup, it is a set phrase for quantity that pairs with de. Whenever you want to say "a little bit of" something, you use un peu de plus the noun without words like le or la.

Question 3

Why does achète have an accent mark (è) when the dictionary form acheter does not?

Accepted Answer

The verb acheter (to buy) slightly changes its spelling for pronunciation reasons. For most subjects (like je, tu, il, and elle), you add a grave accent to the 'e' so it becomes è. This tells you to pronounce it clearly as "ah-shet" instead of swallowing the middle vowel.

Question 4

Do I pronounce the 't' at the end of lait or et?

Accepted Answer

No, the 't' is silent in both words, so they sound like "leh" and "eh". Also, remember that the word et (and) is a special exception in French: you never link its final 't' to the next word, even if that next word starts with a vowel sound.

Il achète beaucoup de sucre et un peu de lait.

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