(Edited) To include or omit certain partitive articles and prepositions

Avery E.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

(Edited) To include or omit certain partitive articles and prepositions

Regarding this exercise: (https://french.kwiziq.com/my-languages/french/exercises/overview/1966 "A French Lunch Menu") 

My answers "saumon avec riz et brocoli", and "poulet avec frites et petits pois" were marked as correct, when the final text gave "saumon avec DU riz et DES brocolis" and "poulet avec DES frites et DES petits pois", as the translations, respectively.  My question is, on a french menu, is it more common to keep the second/third/fourth, etc. partitive articles in a dish name, or to drop them?  

(Part of my confusion was that my responses were marked as correct, (with no alternate answers given), however the translation given at the end of the exercise differed from my own, as noted above).

Thanks in advance!

Asked 3 weeks ago
CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Avery,

The French displayed in the final text of the Kwiziq exercises are what we consider as the best option and most likely to be heard/written by a French Native speaker. It does not mean that other options are not likely to be heard/written too. Therefore, we allow for other alternative answers too.

However, on a French menu, it is more common to drop the partitive articles in a dish name. This practice helps keep menu item descriptions concise and elegant because brevity is key in this context. This aligns with the general stylistic approach of French culinary language.

Take a look at some of our Reading articles which illustrate this particularity:

À la carte - Restaurant La Daurade à Marseille

À la carte - Restaurant gastronomique Le Quatrième Mur à Bordeaux

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée !

CélineKwiziq Native French TeacherCorrect answer

Bonjour Avery,

Thank you for your comment regarding the alternative answers (You could also say...). I will pass it on to our tech team to take a look at.

Merci et bonne journée !

Avery E.B2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Merci Céline! I wonder then, since the final text keeps the second, third, etc. articles, despite as you say it being more common to drop them for brevity, should the final text be modified?

Also, would it be possible to add in the alternative answers ("You could also say..."), as currently there are none given?  

Avery E. asked:

(Edited) To include or omit certain partitive articles and prepositions

Regarding this exercise: (https://french.kwiziq.com/my-languages/french/exercises/overview/1966 "A French Lunch Menu") 

My answers "saumon avec riz et brocoli", and "poulet avec frites et petits pois" were marked as correct, when the final text gave "saumon avec DU riz et DES brocolis" and "poulet avec DES frites et DES petits pois", as the translations, respectively.  My question is, on a french menu, is it more common to keep the second/third/fourth, etc. partitive articles in a dish name, or to drop them?  

(Part of my confusion was that my responses were marked as correct, (with no alternate answers given), however the translation given at the end of the exercise differed from my own, as noted above).

Thanks in advance!

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