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Je mets du riz dans la soupe.

Je mets du riz dans la soupe.
I put rice in the soup.
FromLesson 20inHardcore French
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Breakdown of Je mets du riz dans la soupe.

je
I
dans
in
du
some
la soupe
the soup
mettre
to put
le riz
the rice

Questions & Answers about Je mets du riz dans la soupe.

Why do we say du riz and not le riz or just riz?
Because French uses a partitive article (du = de + le) to indicate an unspecified quantity (“some rice”). Saying le riz would refer to rice in general or to a specific rice you’ve already mentioned; omitting the article altogether is ungrammatical for mass nouns here.
What is a partitive article and when do we use it?

A partitive article expresses an indefinite, non-countable amount of something (like English “some”). In French you choose:
• du before masculine singular nouns (du riz)
• de la before feminine singular nouns (de la soupe)
• de l’ before vowels or mute h (de l’eau)
• des before plural nouns (des légumes)

Why is the verb mettre used instead of ajouter or verser?

In everyday French mettre simply means “to put/place” and is commonly used in cooking contexts: mettre du riz = “put rice.”
• ajouter (“to add”) is more specific and slightly more formal.
• verser (“to pour”) implies a pouring action (liquid or small granules).

Can I say J’ajoute du riz dans la soupe instead?
Yes, j’ajoute is correct and means “I add some rice to the soup.” It’s more precise but not required; je mets is perfectly natural in both spoken and written French.
Why is the preposition dans used here?

Dans means “in” or “inside,” indicating that the rice goes into the soup.
• sur would mean “on top of,” changing the meaning.
• à is not used to express “into” in this context.

How do you pronounce Je mets du riz dans la soupe?

Approximately: /ʒə mɛ dy ʁi dɑ̃ la sup/
• Je: /ʒə/
• mets: /mɛ/ (the final s is silent, no liaison with du)
• du: /dy/
• riz: /ʁi/ (possible liaison with dans, /ʁi dɑ̃/)
• dans la soupe: /dɑ̃ la sup/ (final e of soupe is silent)

Could I change the word order to emphasize something? For example, Dans la soupe, je mets du riz?
Yes. French allows you to front prepositional phrases for emphasis or style: Dans la soupe, je mets du riz (In the soup, I put rice). The meaning remains the same.
Why doesn’t riz have a plural form or an adjective agreement here?
Riz is a mass (uncountable) noun in French and stays singular. No adjective appears here, but if there were one, it would agree in gender and number with riz (e.g., riz blanc, white rice).

More from this lesson

le pantalonJ'achète un pantalon bleu.Je le porte souvent au travail.la vesteJe porte la veste quand il fait froid.Tu as une veste légère ; tu la portes quand il fait frais.la pairela chaussette
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“How does grammatical gender work in French?”
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects the articles and adjectives used with it. "Le" is used with masculine nouns and "la" with feminine ones. Adjectives also change form to match — for example, "petit" (masc.) becomes "petite" (fem.).

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