De in a name.

Michael R.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

De in a name.

Just when I thought I had all this sorted ! In an English novel about a house in France, there are two old derelict buildings one formerly housed pigs and the other was formerly used for making bread. They nick named the first one la maison de cochons and the other la maison du pain. Why the de / du and not just de for both since they are just names ?

Asked 4 years ago
CécileNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Hi Michael,

Just be careful as 'de' can mean 'made of' -

La maison de bois = house made of wood

La maison de pierres = house made of stones

La maison de pain = house made of bread

I would have said 'la maison des cochons' rather than  'de cochons' , but it might just be an error, authors make mistakes too...

 

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Here's an attempt to render the difference in English.

Maison de cochons -- Pighouse
Maison de pain -- Breadhouse
Maison du pain -- House of Bread

De in a name.

Just when I thought I had all this sorted ! In an English novel about a house in France, there are two old derelict buildings one formerly housed pigs and the other was formerly used for making bread. They nick named the first one la maison de cochons and the other la maison du pain. Why the de / du and not just de for both since they are just names ?

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