In the last lesson, it said "du" meant "from." So how does "je fais du ski" make sense?

Donna B.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

In the last lesson, it said "du" meant "from." So how does "je fais du ski" make sense?

Asked 6 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team memberCorrect answer
Bonjour Donna !

There are two du in French :)
- the preposition de contracted with le which can mean from the or of the
Je suis le fils du boucher. I'm the son of the butcher.
Elle vient du cinéma. She's coming from the cinema.
- the partitive article for masculine uncountable nouns, which means some
Je mange du pain.   I eat (some) bread.
Je fais du ski. Literally: I do some skiing. -> I ski.

Here's the link to our related lesson:
https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/revision/grammar/du-de-la-de-l-are-used-to-express-some-or-any-partitive-articles

I hope that's helpful!
Bonne journée !

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
And "je fais du ski" is of the scond kind. Literally: "Do you do some skiing?" -- Chris.
Donna B.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Bonjour Aurélie ! That is exactly what I needed to hear. I hadn't understood that at all until you pointed out the two types of "du." No wonder I kept getting so confused! Thank you!! Bonne journée !
Donna B.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Ah. I see. Thanks, Chris!

In the last lesson, it said "du" meant "from." So how does "je fais du ski" make sense?

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Getting that for you now...