French grammar · Beginner (A1)
Articles: le, la, les, un, une, des, du
The French words for “the”, “a” and “some”: definite, indefinite and partitive articles, and when to use each one.
“The”: le, la, l', les
Every French noun is either masculine or feminine. An article is the little word in front of a noun, like “the” or “a”. In French it changes with the gender of the noun and with the number (one or more).
Before a vowel or a silent h, and both become l': , , . In the plural there is only one form for both genders: .
| Form | Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | (the book) | (the house) |
| Before a vowel or silent h | (the hotel) | (the school) |
| Plural | (the books) | (the houses) |
- Le train est en retard.The train is late.
- J'aime la musique.I like music.
- Les enfants sont à l'école.The children are at school.
“A”, “some”: un, une, des
is “a” for masculine nouns and is “a” for feminine nouns. In the plural, French uses . English often uses no word at all there (“I have friends”), but French always needs .
French also uses , , for things in general, where English uses no article: means “I like coffee” (in general).
| Masculine | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|
- Il y a une pharmacie près d'ici ?Is there a pharmacy near here?
- J'ai un frère et une sœur.I have a brother and a sister.
- Nous avons des amis à Lyon.We have friends in Lyon.
“Some”: du, de la, de l'
The partitive article means “some” or “a bit of” something you can't count, like bread, water or time. English often drops it, but French must use it.
is short for + . Use with masculine nouns, with feminine nouns and de l' before a vowel or silent h.
| Masculine | Feminine | Before a vowel |
|---|---|---|
| (some bread) | (some jam) | (some water) |
- Je voudrais du pain, s'il vous plaît.I'd like some bread, please.
- Tu veux de l'eau ?Do you want some water?
- Elle mange de la salade.She's eating salad.
After a negative: de
After ne… pas (not), , , , , and de l' all become , or d' before a vowel. This does not apply to , , .
With (to be) the article stays: (It's not a problem).
- Je n'ai pas de voiture.I don't have a car.
- Il ne boit pas d'alcool.He doesn't drink alcohol.
- Je n'aime pas le fromage.I don't like cheese.