When do you use articles with Avoir besoin de?

ANDREWA2Kwiziq community member

When do you use articles with Avoir besoin de?

Above it says that with a noun it should be:  

avoir besoin de/d' + (article) + noun

but then below it says:  

Verbal phrases like avoir besoin de don't use the definitive article (or partitive article).

These seem contradictory.  If I want to say: 

"You need flour" 

Do I say:  "Tu as besoin de farine"   or   "Tu as besoin de la farine"

Could someone please clarify with respect to both countable and uncountable items.

Asked 3 years ago
CécileKwiziq team memberCorrect answer

Hi Andrew, 

Please take a look at Chris' answer to a similar question -

https://kwiziq.learnfrenchwithalexa.com/questions/view/when-to-use-des

In your example for -

I need flour

it would be :

J'ai besoin de farine 

if you said 

J'ai besoin de la farine

it would be, for instance in a situation where two people are cooking together and you might say 'de la' to indicate that you need the flour that someone else is using.

Hope this helps!

JimC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Hi Andrew,

Have a look at the link here:-

The format is avoir besoin de + substantive (noun)

Therefore "Tu as besoin de farine" where "farine" is the substantive meets this format and farine is a mass noun "You have need of flour" (not all of the flour in the world, just some of it) therefore the context speaks for itself.

http://www.cnrtl.fr/lexicographie/

Avoir besoin de + subst.Tel champ dont le sol est sec et aride, a besoin de pluies fréquentes (Dupuis, Abr. de l'Orig. de tous les cultes,1796, p. 444).Il avait besoin de cette femme pour vivre comme on a besoin de boire et de manger (Zola, Thérèse Raquin,1867, p. 50):

25. Par-tout ce sont des lieux enchantés, où la nature étale ses charmes, où l'on n'a pas besoin des secours de la philosophie pour être heureux. Baudry des Lozières, Voyage à la Louisiane,1802, p. 77.


Hope this helps.

Jim



When do you use articles with Avoir besoin de?

Above it says that with a noun it should be:  

avoir besoin de/d' + (article) + noun

but then below it says:  

Verbal phrases like avoir besoin de don't use the definitive article (or partitive article).

These seem contradictory.  If I want to say: 

"You need flour" 

Do I say:  "Tu as besoin de farine"   or   "Tu as besoin de la farine"

Could someone please clarify with respect to both countable and uncountable items.

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