avoir besoin d'argent

Question

First issue:Interaction p 23 : Tu as de l'argent pour faire les courses? Non, j'ai besoin d'argent.It explains "avoir besoin de uses de alone when followed by a noun used in the partitive sense" which must be the rationale for the response above.  1.  Why isn't the question also partitive sense? Please help me make the distinction.Second issue:On p340, it says that avoir besoin de is one of a small number of verbs (it also includes s'agir de, parler de, se souvenir de) that require "de" before a noun object and gives the example"J'ai besoin d'argent pour voyager" (no article before "argent") and also gives "Nous parlons du Canada en cours" (has the article); Il s'agit d'un voyage au Canada; On se souvient du passé là-bas.2.  For all those examples on p340 except avoir besoin de, there is an article and I don't know why they differ.I am becoming confused. Can someone help please?

Accepted Answer

Hi Le,
You might find this lesson and the Q&A at the bottom of it answers your query -
Avoir besoin de = To need (French Expressions with avoir)
 
Bonne Continuation !

Answer

What are the page numbers you refer to?

Answer

Both page numbers are for Interaction: Langue et culture, 9th ed, St Onge & Powers (Cengage)

Answer

Tu as de l'argent? -- Do you have money?
Non, j'ai besoin d'argent. -- No, I need money.

The first sentence is a standard case of the partitive article. So the question *does* use the partitive article (other than your post seems to imply).

The second sentence doesn't use the partitive article because the phrase is avoir besoin de + noun. Another example of this would be avoir envie de + noun. Here, you omit the partitive article simply because the phrase doesn't call for it.

You use avoir besoin de + article + noun when you talk of a specific think and not the general. Nations are treated as specific: le Canada. Similarly, the other cases you quote:

On se souvient du passé au Canada. -- We remember the past in Canada. (a specific past)