Questions & Answers about Cette question fait partie de l'examen.
Why is there no article before partie? Shouldn't it be "fait une partie de"?
The phrase faire partie de is a fixed expression meaning "to belong to" or "to be a part of." Because it's a set phrase, the noun partie (part) drops its article. You simply say fait partie de without une. Is the de here the same one we are learning about for verbs followed by infinitives?
Yes, it works on the same principle! While your current lesson focuses on verbs that need de before an action (like essayer de), many fixed verbal expressions also require de to connect to a noun. Faire partie is one of those expressions; it must use de to introduce the larger group it belongs to. Does partie end in "e" here because it is agreeing with the feminine subject cette question?
It looks like an agreement, but no. Partie is not an adjective; it is a noun that is permanently feminine (une partie). Because its spelling is fixed, it will always end in "e" in this expression, even if the subject is masculine, like in ce chapitre fait partie de l'examen. What would happen to de if the word after it didn't start with a vowel like examen?
Since examen starts with a vowel, de drops its "e" to become de l'. If it were followed by a masculine noun starting with a consonant, like le cours, de and le would contract into du (fait partie du cours). For a plural noun, it would become des (fait partie des examens). Learn Cette question fait partie de l'examen and more in French
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