Introduction to French Articles

French articles are sometimes confusing for language students because they have to agree with the nouns they modify and because they dont 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). The French language has three different kinds of articles: Definite articlesIndefinite articlesPartitive articles The table below summarizes the different forms of French articles. French Articles Definite Indefinite Partitive masculine le un du feminine la une de la in front of a vowel l un/une de l plural les des des    Tip: When learning new vocabulary, make your vocabulary lists with a definite or indefinite article for each noun. This will help you learn the gender of each noun along with the word itself, which is important because the articles (as well as adjectives, pronouns, and just about everything else) change to agree with the gender of the noun. French Definite Articles The French definite article corresponds to the in English. There are four forms of the French definite article: le  Ã‚  Ã‚  masculine singularla  Ã‚  Ã‚  feminine singularl  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  m or f in front of a vowel or  h muetles  Ã‚  m or f plural Which definite article to use depends on three things: the nouns gender, number, and first letter: If the noun is plural, use  lesIf its a  singular noun  starting with a vowel or  h  muet, use  lIf its singular and starts with a consonant or  h  aspirà ©, use  le  for a masculine noun and  la  for a  feminine noun Meaning and Usage of the French Definite Article The definite article indicates a specific noun.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Je vais à   la banque. /  Im going to the bank.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Voici le livre que jai lu. /  Here is the book I read. The definite article is also used in French to indicate the general sense of a noun. This can be confusing, as definite articles are not used in this way in English. Jaime la glace. /  I like ice cream.Cest la vie! / Thats life! Definite Article Contractions The definite article changes when preceded by the preposition  Ãƒ  Ã‚  or  de  Ã¢â‚¬â€ the preposition and article contract into a single word. French Indefinite Articles The singular indefinite articles in French correspond to a, an, or one in English, while the plural corresponds to some. There are three forms of the French indefinite article. un  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  masculineune  Ã‚  Ã‚  femininedes  Ã‚  Ã‚  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.   Jai trouvà © 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 à ©tudiant dans la salle. /  There is one student in the room.Jai une sÅ“ur. /  I have one sister. The plural indefinite article means some: Jai achetà © des pommes. /  I bought some apples.Veux-tu acheter des livres? /  Do you want to buy some books? When referring to a persons profession or religion, the indefinite is not used in French, although it is used in English. Je suis professeur. /  I am a teacher.Il va à ªtre mà ©decin. /  Hes going to be a doctor. In a  negative construction, the indefinite article changes to  de, meaning (not) any: Jai une pomme. / Je nai pas de pommes.I have an apple. / I dont have any apples. French Partitive Articles The partitive articles in French correspond to some or any in English. There are four forms of the French partitive article: du  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  masculine singularde la  Ã‚  Ã‚  feminine singularde l  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  m or f in front of a vowel or  h muetdes  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  m or f plural The form of the partitive article to use depends on three things: the nouns number, gender, and first letter: If the noun is plural, use  desIf its singular starting with a vowel or  h muet, use  de lIf its a singular noun and starts with a consonant or  h aspirà ©, use  du  for a masculine noun and  de la  for a feminine noun Meaning and Usage of the French Partitive Article The partitive article indicates an unknown quantity of something, usually food or drink. It is often omitted in English. Avez-vous bu du thà ©? /  Did you drink some tea?Jai mangà © de la salade hier. /  I ate salad yesterday.Nous allons prendre de la glace. / Were going to have some ice cream. After  adverbs of quantity, use  de  instead of the partitive article. Il y a beaucoup de thà ©. /  There is a lot of tea.Jai 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: Jai mangà © de la soupe. / Je nai pas mangà © de soupe.I ate some soup. /  I didnt eat any soup. Choosing a French Article The French articles may seem similar at times, but they are not interchangeable. Below, learn  when and why you should use each one: Definite ArticleThe definite article can talk about a specific item or something in general. Jai mangà © le gà ¢teau. /  I ate the cake (the whole thing, or the specific cake that we were just talking about).Jaime les films. /  I like movies (in general)  or  I like the movies (that we just saw). Indefinite ArticleThe indefinite article talks about one of something and is the easiest of the French articles. It can almost be guaranteed that if what you want to say requires a, an, or one in English —  unless youre talking about someones profession — you need the indefinite article.   Jai mangà © un gà ¢teau. /  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 ArticleThe partitive is usually used when discussing eating or drinking because one normally only eats some butter, cheese, etc., not all of it. Jai mangà © du gà ¢teau. /  I ate some cake (one slice, or a few bites).Je cherche de leau. /  Im 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 mangà © du gà ¢teau. /  He ate some cake.  Il a mangà © un gà ¢teau. /  He ate a cake.