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French grammar - Contents - de

Contents - de

The particle de can be used to specify contents or collective quantities.

-- In this way it can be used to specify the 'content' of volumes or weights.

Note that after de the object is singular if it is uncountable (eg. liquids, like ''water') or a concept (like 'war' and 'love'). And it should be plural if the object is countable (like 'artichokes' and 'radishes').
Examples:
une tasse de thé vert
a cup of green tea

tasse (f) means 'cup'

thé (m) means 'tea'

thé is uncountable so after de is should be singular
un verre de vin rouge
a glass of red wine

verre (m) means 'glass'

vin (m) means 'wine'
une bouteille de champagne
a bottle of champagne

bouteille (f) means 'bottle'
une tranche de pâté
a slice of pâté

tranche (f) means 'slice'

pâté means 'pâté'
une tranche de fromage suisse
a slice of Swiss cheese

fomage (m) means 'cheese'

suisse means 'Swiss'

Suisse (f) means 'Switzerland'
une boîte de camembert
a box of camembert

boîte (f) means 'box'
une boîte d'artichauts
a box of artichokes

artichaut is countable so after de is should be plural ⇒ artichauts
une botte de radis
a bundle of radishes

botte (f) means 'bundle' or 'bunch'

radis (m) means 'radis'

les radis is the plural of le radis
un plateau de pêches jaunes
a platter of yellow peaches

pêche (f) means 'peach'

jaune (m) means 'yellow'
une barquette de fraises
a punnet of strawberries

barquette (f) means 'punnet'

fraise (f) means 'strawberry'
un bouquet d'iris
a bunch of irises

bouquet (m) means 'bouquet' or 'bunch'

iris (m) means 'iris (flower)'
un morceau de pizza
a piece of pizza
un paquet de biscuits
a packet of cookies

paquet (m) means 'packet'

biscuit (m) means 'cookie' or 'biscuit'
un film de guerre
war movie

In this case guerre is an uncountable concept so is in the singular after de
un roman d'amour
a romance novel

roman (m) means 'novel'

amour (f) means 'love'

amour is an uncountable concept so is in the singular after de.
un kilo de pommes
one kilo of apples

kilo (m) means 'kilogramme'
un demi-kilo de carottes
half a kilo of carrots

demi means 'half'

carotte (f) means 'carrot'
un litre de lait
a liter of milk
cinq cents grammes de farine
five hundred grams of flour

cent (number) means 'hundred'

gramme (m) means 'gramme'

farine (f) means 'flour'
une pinte de bière
a pint of beer

pinte (f) means 'pint' or 'half a litre'
un demi de bière
half a beer

demi (m) means 'half'

in the case of beer un demi is half une pinte or a quarter of a litre
une carafe d'eau
a jug of water

carafe (f) is a 'jug'

eau (f) means 'water'