The articles
le, la, les and un, une, des, and when to use them.
French puts an article before nearly every noun. It agrees with the noun's gender and number, and it's often the only thing that shows them, since the noun itself sounds the same in the plural.
The definite and indefinite articles
des is the plural of un and une. English often leaves it out: j'ai des amis, "I have friends". A French noun can rarely stand bare.
More "the" than English
French uses le, la and les where English has no article:
- for things in general: J'aime le café "I like coffee", Les chats dorment beaucoup "Cats sleep a lot";
- for languages and countries: le français, la France (but je parle français, en France);
- for days of the week, meaning "every": le lundi "on Mondays";
- for titles before names: le président, le docteur Martin;
- for body parts: Elle a les yeux bleus "She has blue eyes".
No article after être for jobs
After être, a job, a nationality or a religion takes no article: Il est médecin, Elle est française. With c'est the article comes back: C'est un médecin. See C'est and il est.
à and de with le and les
à "to, at" and de "of, from" join with le and les:
Je vais au cinéma, le livre du professeur, Il parle aux enfants.
After a negation, un, une and des become de: Je n'ai pas de voiture. See Some and any.
Cards from this guide
9 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Nouns and adjectives cards.
What are the forms of "the"?
le (masculine), la (feminine), l' before a vowel, les (plural).
What are the forms of "a"?
un (masculine) and une (feminine), with des in the plural.
How do you say "I like coffee"?
J'aime le café, with the article.
What is des in J'ai des amis?
The plural of un and une: "some", often left out in English.
What does à + le become?
au.
What does de + le become?
du.
Is there an article in Il est médecin?
No: after être, a job or nationality takes none.
How do you say "on Mondays"?
le lundi.
Do the names of countries take an article?
Yes: la France, le Canada.