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French articles are sometimes confusing for language students, because they
have to agree with the nouns they modify and because they don't always
correspond to articles in other languages. As a general rule, if you have a noun in
French, there is virtually always an article in front of it, unless you use some
other type of determiner such as a possessive adjective (mon, ton, etc.) or a
demonstrative adjective (ce, cette, etc).
French has three different kinds of articles:
Definite articles
Indefinite articles
Partitive articles
The table below summarizes the different
for detailed information about each type.
French Articles
Definite
( The )
Masculine
Le
Feminine
La
in front of a vowel
l'
Plural
Les
Indefinite
( A or an )
Un
Une
un/une
Des
Partitive
( Some or any )
du
de la
de l'
des
4. les m or f plural
Which definite article to use depends on three things: the noun's gender,
number, and first letter:
masculine
2. une feminine
3. des m or f plural
Note that the plural indefinite article is the same for all nouns, whereas the
singular has different forms for masculine and feminine.
Meaning and usage of the French indefinite article
The indefinite article usually refers to an unspecified person or thing.
J'ai trouv un livre.
I found a book.
Il veut une pomme.
He wants an apple.
The indefinite article can also refer to just one of something:
Il y a un tudiant dans la salle.
There is one student in the room.
J'ai une sur.
I have one sister.
The plural indefinite article means "some":
J'ai achet des pommes.
I bought some apples.
masculine singular
2. de la feminine singular
3. de l'
4. des
m or f plural
The form of the partitive article to use depends on three things: the noun's
number, gender, and first letter:
If it's a singular noun and starts with a consonant or h aspir, use du for a
masculine noun and de la for a feminine noun
Il y a beaucoup de th.
There is a lot of tea.
J'ai moins de glace que Thierry.
I have less ice cream than Thierry.
In a negative construction, the partitive article changes to de, meaning "(not)
any":
J'ai mang de la soupe. > Je n'ai pas mang de soupe.
I ate some soup. > I didn't eat any soup.
The French articles may seem similar at times, but they are not interchangeable.
This page will help you understand when and why to use each one.
Definite article
The definite article can talk about a specific item or something in general.
J'ai mang le gteau.
I ate the cake (the whole thing, or the specific cake that we were just talking
about).
J'aime les films.
I like movies (in general) or I like the movies (that we just saw).
Indefinite article
The indefinite article talks about one of something, and is the easiest of the
French articles. I can almost guarantee that if what you want to say requires "a,"
"an," or "one" in English - unless you're talking about someone's profession - you
need the indefinite article.
J'ai mang un gteau.
I ate one cake (there were five, and I ate one of them).
Je veux voir un film.
I want to see a movie.
Partitive article
The partitive is usually used when discussing eating or drinking, because one
normally only eats some butter, cheese, etc., not all of it.
J'ai mang du gteau.
I ate some cake (one slice, or a few bites).
Je cherche de l'eau.
I'm looking for some water.
Partitive article vs Indefinite article
The partitive indicates that the quantity is unknown or uncountable. When the
quantity is known/countable, use the indefinite article (or a number):
Il a mang du gteau.