Learn Hardcore French: Je cuisine des pâtes avec des tomates.

In French, les pâtes is a plural noun meaning “pasta” (the food). The singular la pâte means “dough” or “paste,” not pasta. So you normally talk about pasta in the plural: des pâtes, les pâtes.

What does “des” mean here?

Here des is the plural indefinite article, roughly “some” in English. So des pâtes = “some pasta,” des tomates = “some tomatoes.”

Is this “des” the same as the contraction of “de + les”?

Not here. Des can be:

the plural indefinite article (“some”): des pâtes, des tomates (that’s our sentence), or
the contraction of de + les (“of the”): le goût des tomates = “the taste of the tomatoes.”

You tell which it is from context and structure. After a verb as a direct object, it’s the indefinite article; after a noun showing possession/origin, it may be “de + les.”

Why not “avec de tomates”?

Because after avec, you use a normal article. So:

Correct: avec des tomates (“with some tomatoes”), avec les tomates (“with the tomatoes”), avec de la tomate (“with some tomato” as a substance).
Incorrect: “avec de tomates.”

When would I use “de la tomate” instead of “des tomates”?

des tomates = pieces/whole tomatoes (countable items).
de la tomate = tomato as a substance (e.g., purée/sauce/finely chopped). Examples:
un sandwich avec de la tomate (some tomato in it)
des pâtes avec des tomates (pasta with tomatoes as pieces)
des pâtes à la tomate (pasta with tomato sauce/tomato flavor)

Could I say “les pâtes” instead of “des pâtes”?

Yes, but it changes meaning:

Je cuisine des pâtes = I’m making some pasta (unspecified).
Je cuisine les pâtes = I’m cooking the pasta (specific pasta already known in the context). For general likes/dislikes you use the definite: J’aime les pâtes.

What’s the difference between “Je cuisine…”, “Je fais la cuisine”, “Je fais cuire…”, and “Je cuis …”?

Je cuisine des pâtes: I’m preparing/cooking pasta (broad, everyday).
Je fais la cuisine: I’m doing the cooking (the activity in general), not a specific dish.
Je fais cuire des pâtes: I’m cooking pasta (focus on the process of heating/cooking).
Je cuis des pâtes: grammatically fine but less common in everyday speech; cuire is often used for things like bread, cakes, or intransitively: Les pâtes cuisent (“The pasta is cooking”).

Can I drop the article and say “Je cuisine pâtes”?

No. In French you almost always need an article with a noun. So you must say des pâtes, les pâtes, de la pâte, etc.

How do I negate this sentence?

General negation with an unspecified quantity switches to de: Je ne cuisine pas de pâtes.
Negating a specific set keeps the definite article: Je ne cuisine pas les pâtes (not the pasta we mentioned). You can keep the tomatoes part similarly: … avec des tomates → … avec de tomates is still wrong; keep des or les there: Je ne cuisine pas de pâtes avec des tomates.

How does it change after a quantity word?

After quantity expressions, you use de (no plural “s”):

Je cuisine beaucoup de pâtes.
Je cuisine un peu de pâtes.
Je cuisine trop de pâtes.

Why do I sometimes see “de” instead of “des” before a plural noun with an adjective?

Before a plural noun preceded by an adjective, the standard rule is de (or d’):

Je cuisine de bonnes pâtes. In casual speech, some people say des bonnes pâtes, but de bonnes pâtes is the recommended form.

How can I replace “des pâtes” or “des tomates” with pronouns?

Replace des pâtes (direct object, indefinite) with en for an unspecified quantity: J’en cuisine (“I cook some”). You can keep the tomatoes phrase: J’en cuisine avec des tomates.
If the pasta is specific/definite, use les: Je les cuisine avec des tomates.
en cannot replace nouns governed by avec. To replace des tomates in avec des tomates, use a stress pronoun: Je cuisine des pâtes avec elles (or more naturally: avec ça, avec celles-ci, depending on context).

Can I say “des pâtes aux tomates” or “des pâtes à la tomate”?

Yes, with nuances:

des pâtes aux tomates = pasta with tomatoes (often a dish name/menu style).
des pâtes à la tomate = pasta with tomato sauce/tomato-flavored.
avec des tomates sounds like an everyday description of what you’re cooking right now.

Any quick pronunciation tips?

Je ≈ “zhuh”
cuisine ≈ “kwee-zeen” (the s between vowels is “z”)
des ≈ “day”
pâtes ≈ “paht” (broad “a,” final -s silent)
avec ≈ “a-vek”
tomates ≈ “to-mat” (final -s silent) No required liaison in des pâtes (don’t say “dez pâtes”); you would make a “z” link only before a vowel sound (e.g., des amis → “dez-ami”).

What are the genders of “pâte” and “tomate”?

Both are feminine: la pâte / les pâtes, la tomate / les tomates. That matters for articles and any adjectives you might add: de bonnes pâtes fraîches, de bonnes tomates mûres.

Why is it “je cuisine” and not “je cuisines”?

Regular -ER verbs drop the final -s in the first person singular. Conjugation of cuisiner (present):

je cuisine
tu cuisines
il/elle cuisine
nous cuisinons
vous cuisinez
ils/elles cuisinent

Can I move “avec des tomates” elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes, for emphasis or style:

Avec des tomates, je cuisine des pâtes. (fronted for emphasis)
Je cuisine des pâtes, avec des tomates. (spoken, afterthought) Neutral, most common placement is the original: Je cuisine des pâtes avec des tomates.