In French, we use definite and indefinite articles before a noun, as equivalents to “the” and “an”/“a,” respectively. To use articles in French, keep the following points in mind:
Unlike English, 99 percent of the time, you’ll need to use an article in French!
Le, la and les are definite articles and designate specific people, objects, and places whereas un, une, and des are indefinite articles and designate unspecified people, objects, and places.
Unlike English, you’ll need to use an article before every single noun in a list.
Take a look at the following examples:
In this post, we’ll review how and when to use the articles le, la, les, un, une , and des, as well as cases where no article is used at all. Check it out!
What are the French definite articles?
The French definite articles are le, l', la, and les. Most of the time, these articles stand for "the." These French articles are used to designate people, objects, or places that are specific or have already been mentioned. To help you select the appropriate article for a noun, you will need to look at the gender of the noun in French. The number of the French noun will also be important to look at. Take a look at the examples of each below:
| le / l'+ masculine word | la / l'+ feminine word | les+ plural word |
|---|---|---|
le parc Translation: the park | la chambre Translation: the bedroom | les garçons Translation: the boys |
l'aimant Translation: the magnet | l'herbe Translation: the grass | les filles Translation: the girls |
Now let’s take a look to see when and how to use definite articles in French:
Le, l', la, and les are used with verbs expressing tastes.
Verbs like the following need the French articles le, l', la, or les before the noun.
French English aimerto love
apprécierto like
adorerto adore
détesterto hate
préférerto prefer
J’aime les musiques du monde et je préfère la salsa.Translation: I love world music and I prefer salsa.J’aime le sport mais je déteste l'athlétisme.Translation: I love sports but I hate athletics.While a definite article would not be added before these types of nouns in English, you will need to use a definite article in French before:
Non-count nouns:
la confiture meaning jam, le ciel meaning the sky, le lait meaning milk
Abstract nouns:
l'argent meaning money, la patience meaning patience, la politique meaning politics
Languages (hint: they are all masculine!):
le français meaning French, le latin meaning Latin, l’espagnol meaning Spanish
School subjects:
les sciences meaning sciences, la géographie meaning geography
Countries*:
la Finlande meaning Finland, le Mali meaning Mali, les Philippines meaning Philippines
Titles:
M. le Président meaning Mr. President, Mme la Ministre meaning Madam Minister
Some more examples:
Le riz sauvage est bon pour la santé.Translation: Wild rice is healthy.L’hypocrisie est insupportable.Translation: Hypocrisy is unbearable.Le is used for dates and regular events.
Use le to express the date in French when giving a specific day. Why? Because all days are masculine, coming from the noun le jour meaning the day.
Il est né le 21 juin 2004.Translation: He was born on June 21st, 2004.Le concert aura lieu le 5.Translation: The concert will be on the 5th.When an event occurs on a day every week, use le too.
Le vendredi, je vais au cinéma.Translation: Every Friday, I go to the cinema.≠Vendredi je vais au cinéma.Translation: This Friday, I will go to the cinema.
Now let’s take a look at the indefinite articles!
What are the French indefinite articles?
The French indefinite articles are un, une and des and they typically stand for “a,” “an,” or “one.” Des is the plural form of un and une. It has no equivalent in English but could be thought of as “some.” These French articles designate people, objects, or places as a generality.
| un+ masculine word | une+ feminine word | des+ plural word |
|---|---|---|
un homme Translation: a hammock | une casserole Translation: a saucepan | des gens Translation: people / some people |
un fauteuil Translation: an armchair | une heure Translation: an hour | des livres Translation: books / some books |
The articles un, une, des turn into de or d' in negative sentences in French:
un→ pas de / d’
une→ pas de / d’
des→ pas de / d’
J’ai un chien mais je n’ai pas de chat.Translation: I have a dog but I don’t have cats.Des becomes de in front of a French adjective + noun combination.
J’ai des commodes anciennes et de grandes armoires.Translation: I have antique chests of drawers and large wardrobes.Add a liaison between un, des, and nouns starting with a vowel or a silent h. It sounds more beautiful!
un étage, un hommeTranslation: a floor, a mandes enfants, des herbesTranslation: children, herbs
When not to use any articles in French?
Sometimes, no article is used at all in French, such as in expressions without articles or in front of professions, religions, or days of the week. Remember how you need to use French articles 99 percent of the time? Well, here is the one percent!
Expressions without articles
Some expressions in French are fixed and will not call for an article. This is the case for many of the expressions with avoir meaning to have, such as the following:
- J'ai peurTranslation: I'm scared
- J'ai soifTranslation: I'm thirsty
- J'ai faimTranslation: I'm hungry
- J'ai sommeilTranslation: I'm sleepy
No articles in front of professions
Il est prof d’anglais et elle est comptable.Translation: He’s an English teacher and she is an accountant.No articles in front of religions
Il est catholique.Translation: He is a Catholic.No articles in front of days of the week
Samedi, je rentre de vacances et dimanche, je me repose.Translation: On Saturday, I’ll be back from holidays and on Sunday, I’ll rest.
In brief: Tips to understand French articles!
When using definite and indefinite articles in French, keep the following tips in mind:
Use a French article 99 percent of the time and learn the rare expressions without one.
When you think of “the” in English, use le, l', la, or les!
When you think of “a,” “an,” or “one,” use un or une in French and use des for their plural form.
Do not use articles in front of nouns referring to the professions and religion of someone.
Add liaisons, it’s grammatically correct and more beautiful!
Why not practice with some exercises on definite and indefinite articles in French and also check our post on French partitive articles?
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