French almost never drops the article, even where English does.
French articles come in three families: definite (le, la, les), indefinite (un, une, des) and partitive (du, de la). Almost every French noun needs one, including in sentences where English uses none, such as j'aime le chocolat, I like chocolate.
This guide sets out each family, the contractions with à and de, the change to de after a negation, and the mistakes English speakers make most.
Each article tells you the gender and the number of the noun, and how definite it is.
| Kind | Masculine | Feminine | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | le, l' | la, l' | les | the |
| Indefinite | un | une | des | a, an, some |
| Partitive | du, de l' | de la, de l' | des | some, any |
Because the article carries the gender, learn every noun with its article: la table, le livre, never table or livre alone.
Le goes before a masculine noun, la before a feminine one, and les before any plural: le chat, la maison, les enfants. In the plural, the noun usually takes an s, as the guide to the plural of French nouns explains.
Before a vowel or a silent h, le and la become l': l'ami, l'école, l'heure. With an aspirated h there is no elision: le héros, la honte. The guide to the apostrophe in French lists the other words that elide.
Un and une mean a or an: un livre, une pomme. Their plural, des, has no single English equivalent: it means some, or nothing at all. J'ai acheté des livres, I bought books.
In careful writing, des becomes de before a plural adjective placed before the noun: de belles maisons, de grands arbres. In everyday speech, des is common there too.
The partitive article is used for an amount you do not count: je mange du pain, elle boit de la limonade, il faut de l'eau. In English you would say some bread, or just bread.
Compare the three in one subject: j'aime le pain (bread in general), j'achète un pain (one loaf), je mange du pain (some bread).
When à or de meets le or les, they merge into one word. La and l' never contract.
| Preposition and article | Becomes | Example |
|---|---|---|
| à + le | au | Je vais au cinéma. |
| à + les | aux | Elle parle aux enfants. |
| de + le | du | Il revient du marché. |
| de + les | des | Le prix des billets. |
| à + la, à + l' | no change | à la gare, à l'hôtel |
After a negation, un, une, des and the partitive articles all become de, or d' before a vowel: j'ai une voiture, je n'ai pas de voiture; il boit du café, il ne boit pas de café; nous avons des amis ici, nous n'avons pas d'amis ici.
Two exceptions: the definite articles do not change (je n'aime pas le café), and neither does an article after être (ce n'est pas un problème).
An adjective after the noun then agrees with it, as the article does: la musique classique, les fleurs blanches. The page on French adjective agreement covers it.
Give every French noun an article: le, la, les for the, un, une, des for a or some, du and de la for an uncounted amount. Merge à and de with le and les, and switch to de after a negation.
What are the definite and indefinite articles in French?
The definite articles are le, la, l' and les, meaning the. The indefinite articles are un, une and des, meaning a, an or some.
When do you use du, de la and des?
Du and de la are partitive articles for an amount you do not count: du pain, de la confiture. Des is the plural of un and une, and also the partitive before a plural noun.
Why does un become de after a negation?
After pas and the other negations, un, une, des, du and de la all become de: je n'ai pas de voiture. The definite articles le, la and les do not change.
When does le become l'?
Before a word starting with a vowel or a silent h: l'ami, l'heure. Before an aspirated h, such as héros or honte, le and la stay as they are.
Why do French people say j'aime le café?
French uses the definite article for things in general, where English uses no article. J'aime le café means I like coffee.
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