French Articles: Simple Guide, Use, Examples and Exercises
Articles in French
Articles in French are words that precede a noun. They indicate the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun, as well as specifying whether it refers to something definite (specific) or indefinite (non-specific).
Types of articles
- Definite:
- le (the) male
- la (the) female
- les (the) plural
Indefinite: - un (a) male
- une (a) female
- des (some)
Articles always agree in gender and number with the noun they accompany, and this implies, of course, learning the gender of each word.
Definite article in French: Le, las, les
They are used to refer to something specific or defined, which is already known.
| French | English | Use |
| Le | The | Singular and masculine. |
| La | Singular and feminine. | |
| Les | Plural, both masculine and feminine. |
Examples
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Contraction of le (L’)
When the singular definite article le y la (the) is followed by a word that begins with a vowel or a silent h, it is contracted and becomes l’.
This contraction is done to facilitate pronunciation and avoid cacophony (unpleasant sound due to the repetition of vowels).
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French Indefinite article: Un, un, des
The indefinite articles (Articles Indéfinis) are un, une, and des (A, an and some). They are used to refer to something non-specific or not defined.
| French | English | Use |
| Un | A, an | Singular and masculine |
| Une | A, an | Singular and feminine |
| Des | Some | Plural, both masculine and feminine. |
Examples
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Summary
