Key points about definite and indefinite articles in French
The definite articleMeans 'the'. Definite articles change depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. ‘the’ changes depending on gender and quantity in French.
Le is masculineAll nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. singular, la is feminineAll nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. singular, les is plural and ±ô’ comes before singular nouns that start with a vowel or h muet (silent h).
Use the definite article in French for expressions of liking, generalities, school subjects, languages, countries, body parts, time phrases and to turn an adjective into a noun.
The Indefinite articleMeans ‘a’ or ‘an’. Indefinite articles change depending on whether the nouns they go with are masculine or feminine. ‘a/an’ changes in French depending on whether the noun is masculine (un) or feminine (une). Use des for plurals, meaning ‘some’.
The indefinite article is used similarly to English, but is omitted with job titles, such as elle est prof - she is a teacher.
Higher Tier - use the definite article with dans (in) but not with en (in, eg a country).
Video: How to use articles in French
Watch the video to find out how to use articles in French.
The definite article in French
The definite article in English is the.
In French, the equivalent word changes depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine or plural, or if it starts with a vowel or h muet (silent ‘h’).
What are the French definite articles?
Le, la, ±ô’ and les all mean ‘the’. Knowing which one to use depends on the gender of the noun, whether it starts with a vowel or h muet (silent ‘h’), and whether it is singular or plural.
masculine | feminine | singular noun starting with a vowel/silent h | plural |
---|---|---|---|
le | la | l' | les |
When is the definite article needed in French?
In French, the definite article is often needed where it is not used in English.
- Expressions of liking, disliking and preferring:
´³â€™a¾±me les fraises. – I like strawberries.
Je préfère le chocolat. – I prefer chocolate.
- Expressing a generality:
Les chats dorment beaucoup. – Cats (in general) sleep a lot.
- With school subjects and languages:
J’étudie ±ô’histoire. – I study history.
Je voudrais apprendre ±ô’anglais. – I would like to learn English.
- With countries:
³¢â€™Algérie est un pays chaud. – Algeria is a hot country.
- With parts of the body:
´³â€™a¾± les yeux bleus. – I have blue eyes.
- In time phrases:
le weekend dernier – last weekend
le lundi – on Mondays/every Monday
- When turning an adjective into a noun:
seul (alone, only, lonely) – le seul (the only one)
anglais (English, adjective) – ±ô’Anglais (the English person)
Definite articles - Mini quiz
Fill in the blanks with the correct definite article – le, la, ±ô’, les or no article.
Je vais aller à Paris ___ ²¹²Ô²Ôé±ð prochaine, alors je voudrais étudier ___ ´Ú°ù²¹²Ôç²¹¾±²õ.
Je vais aller à Paris ±ô’²¹²Ô²Ôé±ð prochaine, alors je voudrais étudier le ´Ú°ù²¹²Ôç²¹¾±²õ.
I’m going to go to Paris next year so I would like to study French.
The definite article is needed with time phrases, such as ‘next year’, and for languages. ³¢â€™ is used because ²¹²Ô²Ôé±ð (year) starts with a vowel.
³¢â€™ is also used in front of ‘h muet’ (silent h).
When is the definite article omitted in French?
The definite article needs to be omitted in the following situations:
- After expressions of quantity such as beaucoup de (a lot of), plus de (more), trop de (too much), peu de (little, few) and assez de (enough). For example:
Il y a beaucoup d’enfants ici. – There are a lot of children here.
Nous avons trop de devoirs. – We have too much homework.
- After negative expressions such as ne … pas de (none/not any) and ne … jamais de (never any). For example:
On n’a pas de chien. – We don’t have a dog.
Je n’ai jamais d’argent. – I never have any money.
The indefinite article in French
The indefinite article in English is a/an.
In French, the equivalent word changes depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine.
To talk about plural nouns in any context where you would usually use an indefinite article, use des (some).
What are the French indefinite articles?
The French indefinite articles are as follows:
English | masculine | feminine | plural |
---|---|---|---|
a (or an), some | un | une | des |
When is the indefinite article needed in French?
The indefinite article is used in almost exactly the same way in French as it is in English.
For example:
´³â€™a¾± un ´Ú°ùè°ù±ð. – I have a brother.
Mes parents vont acheter une nouvelle voiture. – My parents are going to buy a new car.
On va manger des pommes. - We’re going to eat some apples.
Indefinite articles - Mini quiz
Translate this sentence into French:
I would like to have a sister.
Je voudrais avoir une sœur.
³§²Õ³Ü°ù (sister) is a feminine noun so une needs to be used to mean ‘a’.
When is the indefinite article omitted in French?
No article is needed when talking about jobs, or if you are a member of a team. For example:
Je voudrais être médecin. – I would like to be a doctor.
Je suis membre d’une équipe de foot. – I am a member of a football team.
Quiz - Definite and indefinite articles in French
Practise what you’ve learned about definite and indefinite articles with this quiz.
Higher Tier – Using or omitting articles with 'dans' and 'en'
In French, use the definite article with dans (in) but not with en (in, eg a country). For example:
Il y a une table dans la cuisine. – There is a table in the kitchen.
Je suis en France. – I am in France.
Using 'dans' and 'en' - Mini quiz
Translate this sentence into French:
My brother is in England.
Mon ´Ú°ùè°ù±ð est en Angleterre.
The definite article is not used with en (in).
Higher Tier - Quiz - Definite and indefinite articles in French
Practise what you’ve learned about definite and indefinite articles with this Higher Tier quiz.
Video: French genders and articles
Watch the video for further information on genders and articles in French.
Now you’ve learned about definite and indefinite articles in French, why not explore how to use indefinite and negative adjectives in French?
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