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In grammar, an article is a small word that comes before a noun to tell us if the noun is specific or not. You could think of articles as the little markers that tell us whether we’re talking about a particular thing or something more general. There are definite articles for specific things, for example “the book on the table”, and indefinite articles for general things, like “an apple”. French articles and determiners can be a little more complex than their English equivalents due to the higher number and gender agreement. In this article, we\u2019re going to learn the French articles and much more, with an introduction to other useful determiners that you can use to identify or quantify a noun.<\/p>\n
A definite article is used to talk about a specific thing. In English, we would use \u201cthe\u201d, but the French language, like many other Romance languages, has several definite articles. This is because it distinguishes between masculine and feminine nouns, as well as between singular and plural forms.<\/p>\n
The indefinite French articles are le, la,<\/em> and les<\/em>. We use these to show that we’re referring to a particular item or group of items.<\/p>\n \u201cLe\u201d is used for masculine nouns:<\/p>\n \u201cLa\u201d is used for feminine nouns:<\/p>\n \u201cLes\u201d is used for plural nouns:<\/p>\n If a noun starts with a vowel, the definite article becomes l\u2019<\/em>, as this makes it flow more easily when spoken. The noun is still either masculine or feminine, although we cannot tell which from the article alone. For example: L\u2019entr\u00e9e – the entrance hall<\/em>.<\/p>\n In English, we can sometimes drop the article for plural nouns. When we’re talking about things in a general sense, or when referring to all members of a group in a broad way, we often don’t use “the.” However, in French the plural article \u201cles\u201d is always required.<\/p>\n If we want to talk about an unspecified noun or one of something, then we need to use an indefinite article. In French there are once again several different articles because of masculine and feminine, singular and plural nouns. Un<\/em> and une<\/em> can be translated to a\/an, while des<\/em> means some<\/em>. While this system of agreement may seem complex to learners, it’s a fundamental aspect of French grammar.<\/p>\n \u201cUn\u201d is used for masculine nouns:<\/p>\n \u201cUne\u201d is used for feminine nouns:<\/p>\n \u201cDes\u201d is used for plural nouns:<\/p>\n There is another type of French article called, we call these les articles partitifs<\/em>. The partitive article is used before uncountable nouns, a part of a whole, or designating an abstract thing such as courage or happiness.<\/p>\n DE + LE = DU<\/strong><\/p>\n DE + LA = DE LA<\/strong><\/p>\n DE + L\u2019 = D\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n DE + LES = DES<\/strong><\/p>\n Among the partitive articles, there is also the article \u201cde\u201d, which is used in negative sentences, whether the noun is singular or plural, masculine or feminine:<\/p>\n I eat rice \u2192 I don\u2019t eat rice<\/em><\/p>\n She likes soup \u2192 She doesn\u2019t like soup<\/em><\/p>\n We have some water \u2192 We don\u2019t have any water<\/em><\/p>\n I ate pasta \u2192 I didn\u2019t eat pasta<\/em><\/p>\n You are lucky \u2192 You aren\u2019t lucky<\/em><\/p>\n There are certain situations where we can drop the article altogether. These include the names of cities, the days of the week, months, jobs, religions, and finally, modes of transports preceded by \u201cen\u201d.<\/p>\n Articles are the most common French determiners, but did you know that there are many other kinds? Let\u2019s look at the ones you\u2019re most likely to use when learning French articles and determiners.<\/p>\n The demonstrative determiner is most often used to “show” the noun that follows. The French demonstrative determiners are ce, <\/em>for masculine singular nouns, cette<\/em>, for feminine singular nouns, and ces, <\/em>for all plural nouns. For ease of pronunciation, \u201cce\u201d becomes \u201ccet\u201d in front of a vowel or a silent \u201ch\u201d.<\/p>\n Possessive determiners indicate ownership of a noun. We use them to show who or what possesses something. For example, in \u201cmy book\u201d, it\u2019s the determiner \u201cmy\u201d that indicates that the speaker owns the book.<\/p>\n There are many different possessive determiners in French so it can be hard to know which one to use. In the first, second and third-person singular, we use mon, ton<\/em> and son<\/em> for masculine singular nouns, ma, ta<\/em> and sa<\/em> for feminine singular nouns, and mes, tes<\/em>, and ses<\/em> for plural nouns. When it comes to the first, second and third-person plural, we no longer differentiate between masculine and feminine.<\/p>\n Mon, ma, mes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n My<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Ton, ta, tes<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Your (informal and singular)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Son, sa, ses<\/p>\n<\/td>\n His\/her\/its<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Notre, nos<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Our<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Votre, vos<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Your (formal or plural)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Leur, leurs<\/p>\n<\/td>\n Their<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n That may seem like a lot of information to take in at once, but all will become clear with some examples\u2026<\/p>\n Finally, it\u2019s important to touch on interrogative and exclamatory determiners. Interrogative determiners, such as “which” and “what,” are used to ask questions about specific nouns or noun phrases, indicating uncertainty or a choice between several options.<\/p>\n The only true d\u00e9terminant interrogatif<\/em> in French is \u201cquel\u201d. Quel<\/em> agrees in gender and number with the noun it determines. This means that it becomes quelle<\/em> for feminine nouns, quels<\/em> for masculine plural puns, and quelles <\/em>for feminine plural nouns.<\/p>\n The interrogative determiner is used in direct questioning, such as when asking a question, as seen in the examples above, but also in indirect questioning:<\/p>\n\n
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<\/a>Example sentences with definite articles<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Indefinite articles in French<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>Example sentences with definite articles<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Partitive articles in French<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>When not to use French articles?<\/h2>\n
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<\/a>French determiners<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Demonstrative determiners<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Possessive determiners<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Interrogative determiners<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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