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 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

forms of French articles - click the links

Indefinite
( A or an )
Un
Une
un/une
Des

Partitive
( Some or any )
du
de la
de l'
des

Tip: If uncountable, use du or de la (e.g. du vin / de la biere)

If countable, use des (e.g. des lecons)
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.
Definite Article
The French definite article corresponds to "the" in English. There are four forms
of the French definite article:
1. le masculine singular
2. la feminine singular
3. l'

m or f in front of a vowel or h muet

4. les m or f plural
Which definite article to use depends on three things: the noun's gender,
number, and first letter:

If the noun is plural, use les

If it's a singular noun starting with a vowel or h muet, use l'

If it's singular and starts with a consonant or h aspir, 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.
Je vais la banque.
I'm going to the bank.
Voici le livre que j'ai 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.
J'aime la glace.
I like ice cream.
C'est la vie !
That's life!
Definite article contractions
The definite article changes when preceded by the preposition or de - the
preposition and article contract into a single word: learn more
Indefinite Article
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.
1. un

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.

Veux-tu acheter des livres ?

Do you want to buy some books?
When referring to a person's profession or religion, the indefinite is not used in
French, although it is used in English. I know, I know, the exceptions never end. :(
Je suis professeur.
I am a teacher.
Il va tre mdecin.
He's going to be a doctor.
In a negative construction, the indefinite article changes to de, meaning "(not)
any":
J'ai une pomme. > Je n'ai pas de pommes.
I have an apple. > I don't have any apples.
Partitive Article
The partitive articles in French correspond to "some" or "any" in English. There
are four forms of the French partitive article:
1. du

masculine singular

2. de la feminine singular
3. de l'

m or f in front of a vowel or h muet

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 the noun is plural, use des

If it's singular starting with a vowel or h muet, use de l'

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

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 th ?
Did you drink some tea?
J'ai mang de la salade hier.
I ate salad yesterday.
Nous allons prendre de la glace.
We're going to have some ice cream.
After adverbs of quantity, use de instead of the partitive article.

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.

He ate some cake.

Il a mang un gteau.
He ate a cake.