The Partitive The partitive is used to express the ideas of "some" or "any." It is formed by contracting "de" with the definite article. The partitive articles are: de + le = du , de + la = de la, de + l' = de l' , and de + les = des. The partitve article always becomes "de" or "d'" when the partitive article is negative. Remember..the definite article is used when you are referring to a specific item or items / or referring to something in a general sense. Tools This activity was created by a Quia Web subscriber. To learn how to make your own, just like this, click here.