Review of Indefinite Articles

In French, most nouns need to be supported by an article. One type of article is an indefinite
article which in English is 'a', 'an'. French articles are also masculine or feminine, singular or
plural, according to the gender and number of the noun they determine. There can also be an
alternative version of an article if the noun it precedes begins with a vowel a, e, i, o, u. Here are
the indefinite articles in French:
Masculine singular: un
Feminine singular: une

Plural: des

Arnold est un tatou.

Joe-Bob est un cureuil.
Betty est une chatte.
Susquehanna est une
universit
des tatous
des cureuils
des chats
des universits

Arnold is an armadillo.
Joe-Bob is a squirrel.
Betty is a cat. (female)
Susquehanna is a
university.
(some) armadillos
(some) squirrels
(some) cats
(some) universities

Uses
As the English 'a' 'an' or 'some', the indefinite articles un, une, des refer to nouns which are nonspecific. Un or une also indicate quantity, 'a' or 'an' in the sense of a single 'one.' Example:
Joe-Bob et Corey ont une chambre dans une
Joe-Bob and Corey have a (one) room in a
rsidence universitaire Selinsgrove.
residence hall in Selinsgrove.
Joe-Bob et Corey sont des camarades de
Joe-Bob and Corey are roommates!
chambre.
Notice how the une is used to state that there is one room or a room. The noun the article
precedes is singular to describe one single thing or place.
After a negative:
In a negative sentence, the indefinite articles un, une, des are replaced by de or d'. Example:
Arnold: Joe-Bob, tu as un chien?
Arnold: Joe-Bob, do you have a dog?'
Joe-Bob: Mais non! Je n'ai pas de chien. Je
Joe-Bob: No, I don't have a dog. I'm a
suis un cureuil.
squirrel.
Arnold: Tina, tu as des amis?
Arnold: Tina, do you have friends?
Tina: Mais non! Je n'ai pas d'amis. Je suis un
Tina: No, I don't have any friends. I'm a
cafard.
cockroach.
* The negative was difficult for me to understand at first because the article comes after the verb.
This was a concept that I had to overcome by just memorizing the placement of the article.
There is an exception though when following the verb tre, the indefinite articles un, une, des
remain unchanged in the negative. Example:

Edouard: Joe-Bob, c'est un cureuil. Ce n'est

Edouard: Joe-Bob is a squirrel. He is not an
pas un tatou!
armadillo.
Arnold et Tammy, ce sont des tatous. Ce ne
Arnold and Tammy are armadillos. They are
sont pas des escargots.
not snails.
*Exceptions are difficult for me to remember because after I memorize what I think is right there
is an exception that defies the original rule. I have to overcome this by just memorizing the
exception and hoping to remember it when needed.