French articles are the small words you place before nouns. They tell you whether a noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and whether you are talking about something specific or general.
Definite articles: le, la, les
Use definite articles to talk about something specific or known.
- le = the (masculine singular) → le chat = the cat
- la = the (feminine singular) → la maison = the house
- les = the (plural) → les enfants = the children
Before a vowel or silent h, le and la contract to l’: l’arbre, l’ecole.
Indefinite articles: un, une, des
Use indefinite articles to talk about something non-specific or when mentioning it for the first time.
- un = a / an (masculine) → un livre = a book
- une = a / an (feminine) → une idee = an idea
- des = some (plural) → des amis = some friends
When to use which
- First mention or non-specific: J’ai un chien. = I have a dog.
- After the first mention or specific: Le chien est gentil. = The dog is nice.
- General statements: J’aime le café. = I like coffee (in general).
Articles disappear in negation
After a negative verb, un, une, and des become de.
- J’ai un stylo. → Je n’ai pas de stylo.
- Elle mange des pommes. → Elle ne mange pas de pommes.
Contractions with a and de
- a + le = au : Je vais au marche.
- a + les = aux : Je parle aux enfants.
- de + le = du : le livre du professeur
- de + les = des : les livres des eleves
Final tip
Always learn a new noun with its article. Write le cafe, not just cafe. This small habit saves a lot of trouble later when you need to conjugate adjectives or choose a pronoun.
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