Articles are words you use before nouns (as a, an, the in English).
French definite article
French definite article are used similarly to their English counterpart, “the” to talk about specific, identified nouns.
Examples
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine noun | le livre the book | les livres the books |
| Feminine noun | la table the table | les tables the tables |
| Before a vowel or mute h | l’orange the orange | les oranges the oranges |
Indefinite article
French indefinite article indicates that the speaker is referring to either an unspecific noun or to one/some of something. You can use indefinite articles in front of unnamed, unidentified, or unspecified nouns, as long as they are countable.
Examples
| Singular | Plural | |
| Masculine | un livre a book un ami a friend | des livres some books des amis some friends |
| Feminine | une table a table une école a school | des tables some tables des écoles some schools |
Partitive article
French partitive article indicates that the speaker is referring to only a portion or some of an uncountable noun, often food or drink.
The partitive article is needed when talking about an unknown or unspecified quantity of something uncountable.
Examples
| Singular | |
| Masculine | du vin some wine de l’argent some money |
| Feminine | de la tarte some pie de l’eau some water |
Download the PDF file: French article
