Breakdown of Nous allons dresser la table avec la porcelaine.
la table
the table
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
avec
with
aller
to go
dresser
to set (a table)
la porcelaine
the porcelain
Questions & Answers about Nous allons dresser la table avec la porcelaine.
I usually say mettre la table to mean "set the table". Is dresser la table different?
If we were setting the table with "wine glasses" instead of just porcelain, how would I apply this lesson's rule about à and de?
The lesson is about à and de, but what if I want to say "porcelain plates"? Would I use de because it's a noun modifier?
When describing the material something is made out of, French primarily uses en, so you would say des assiettes en porcelaine. You might sometimes see de used for materials in a more literary or traditional context (des assiettes de porcelaine), but en is the standard choice for everyday speech and writing.
Why is it la porcelaine with the definite article la here instead of de la porcelaine (some porcelain)?
Using the definite article la implies you are talking about a specific set of china that the speaker and listener both know about, much like saying "the good china" in English. If you used the partitive article and said avec de la porcelaine, it would mean you are setting the table with "some porcelain" in a general, unspecified way, which sounds a bit unnatural for a specific dinner setup.
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