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1.0 INTRODUCTION:

In English language, articles are used to indicate the presence of a noun, specify the

manner of the noun and to limit the noun to a gender. Articles precede nouns in sentences: the

presence of articles indicate the presence of nouns. Yet, they do not just appear, there are

rules that guide the way they are used, and with respect to gender and number. These forms

adopted by articles ensure that there is Agreement. There is said to be an agreement when the

article used with a noun agrees in gender and number.

There are two types of articles in English: definite article and indefinite article.

Definite article is used to make reference to a particular object known to the speaker and the

listener(s). There is only one definite article in English: ‘the’, as in, the boy, the chair, the

cow, etc. Indefinite article is used to describe an indefinite number of a noun. There are two

indefinite articles: ‘a’ and ‘an’, as in, a chair, a house, an Aeroplane, an Ecologist, etc. The

indefinite article ‘a’ precedes nouns that begins with a consonant while ‘an’ precedes nouns

that begin with a vowel.

In addition to the definite and indefinite articles, there is third category of article in

French: the partitive article. The partitive Article refers to an unspecified quantity of food,

liquid, or some other uncountable noun. English language does not recognize partitive articles

and thus have no equivalent word for translation from French.

This study will be a great asset to students of French Language, English Language

and other languages that trace their etymology to the aforementioned languages. On a wider

space, it will serve as a manual for researchers and language users on the use of definite

article, indefinite article or partitive article. For a thorough understanding of articles in

French, there is need to first understand how English grammarians use articles. Thus, this

work will adopt an expository, analytical, co-relation and contrastive methods in analyzing

the French articles.

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2.0 ARTICLES IN ENGLISH

In English, there are two major determiners under this topic. They are definite and

indefinite articles. There is only one definite article ‘the’ and two indefinite articles ‘a’ and

‘an’.

1. Definite Article (the)

The definite article ‘the’ is used to make reference to both singular and plural objects

and of course, for all genders. In other words, it could be used for all nouns, be it countable,

uncountable, singular or plural or concrete, e.t.c.1 This article is used to show the certainty of

a noun. For example, in the sentence: “The building fell down last night”. In explaining this,

there is certainty of the building in question.

2. Indefinite Articles (‘a’ & ‘an’)

The indefinite articles ‘a’ & ‘an’ are used to describe an indefinite number of a noun.

The presence of these articles means that the noun in question is not specific or certain in

number. 'an’ precedes nouns that begins with vowels (a,e,i,o,u.) or words with a mute /h/

while ‘a’ precedes nouns that begins with a consonant. For instance: “A building fell down

last night” or “I need an envelope for this letter.” The presence of the articles ‘a’ & ‘an’

suggests that the noun lacks certainty.

2.1 OMISSION OF ARTICLES IN PHRASES

 Definite Article (the)

No article precedes nouns such as home, church, work, school, etcetera when they are

visited for its known purpose.

The challenge of understanding when definite articles are omitted in phrases is further

clarified by Sarah:

1
Segun Olatoye, The Silent Teacher: Revised and Enlarged Edition (Ado-Ekiti: Olatoye and Sons Enterprises,
2010), 233-234.
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There is a very old distinction in English between a "house" (the building) and "home,"
which has a deeper significance. When you say "I'm going home" everyone knows
what you mean; you don't need to indicate that you are talking about a specific home,
because it is understood that you mean your own home. There are a handful of other
words (church, work, school, bed) that don't require an article unless you need to refer
to a specific location (such as, "the cat is on the bed" vs. "I'm going to bed"). Being at
home, attending church, being at work, or sleeping in your bed are thought of as life
activities as much as they are actual places.2

Consider the following examples: “Augustine went the home” or “Fela got the home drunk”.

It is observed that the definite article ‘the’ should to be ignored. Yet, when such nouns are

preceded by a descriptive word or phrase, there is need to add the preposition ‘to’ in order to

show the exact location being referred to. Example, “Nkenke got to the church” or “Frank has

gone to the last chapel”.

Asides the primary purposes of some nouns there are only secondary purposes

attached to them. Just as we go to church to pray, we could still be there as hired labourers.

At the hospital, we could be patients or staff. This applies to other nouns like the prison, café,

etc. Segun observed that “some proper nouns are not normally used with definite article ‘the’

thus we have Paris, Lagos Ekiti, Mount Horeb, etc”.3

 The Indefinite articles (a & an)

The indefinite articles do not precede plural noun or uncountable noun such as advice,

information, news, baggage, etc. For instance, it is wrong English to say: let me give you an

advice. Instead, we say let me give you a piece of advice. 4

3.0 ARTICLES IN FRENCH

2
Sarah T., “English language Learners,” Stack Exchange Inc., June 08, 2020, accessed 4th November, 2023
https://ell.stackexchange.com/questions/244622/omission-of-articles-in-phrases
3
Segun Olatoye, The Silent Teacher: Revised and Enlarged Edition (Ado-Ekiti: Olatoye and Sons Enterprises,
2010), 240.
4
Olatoye, The Silent Teacher, 243.
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There are three determiners in French. They are definite articles, Indefinite articles

and partitive articles. La, Le, L' and Les are the definite articles. La precedes French feminine

nouns. Le precedes French masculine nouns. L' precedes both masculine and feminine French

nouns starting with a vowel. With this background knowledge, it is important to go over

some basic rules that facilitate noun-article agreement across the three articles in French.

3.1 Les articles Definis (Definite articles)

What are the French definite articles? The French definite articles are le, l’, la, and

les. These French articles are used to designate people, objects, or places that are specific or

have already been mentioned. We will itemize the points as captured in Collins French

Grammar.5

a. To help you select the appropriate article for a noun, you will need to look at the

gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun in French.

With masculine noun With feminine noun

Singular Le(l’) La (l’)
Plural Les Les

Please note that, le and la change to l’ when they are used in front of a word starting with a

vowel and most words stating with h.

 Le is used in front of masculine singular nouns.

le roi the king

le chien the dog

le jardin the garden

 La is used in front of feminine singular nouns.

5
Collins French Grammar (Britain: HarperCollins Publishers, 2011), 13-24.
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la reine the queen

la souris the mouse

la porte the door

 L’ is used in front of singular nouns that start with a vowel, whether they are masculine or

feminine.

l'ami (masculine) the friend

l’eau (feminine) the water

l’etage (masculine) the floor

 L’ is also used in front of most words starting with h but some others go with le or la.

l’hopital the hospital

le hamster the hamster

la hi-fi the stereo

The requirement for achievement of article-noun agreement depends on the ability of

the speaker to apply the right articles in the right manner. Sequel to that, good knowledge of

vocabulary properties is strongly recommended. It is advisable that the number and gender of

each noun be well understood.

 les is used in front of plural nouns, whether masculine or feminine and whatever letter

they start with.

les chiens the dogs

les amis the friends

les hotels the hotels

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Remember that earlier in our discussion; we talked about agreement in number. From

the examples given above, you notice that the nouns have‘s’ added to them. This suffix just

like in English indicates that a noun is in its plural from. “When ‘les’ is used in front of a

word that starts with a consonant, you do not say the s on the end of les: les chiens. When les

is used in front of a word that starts with a vowel, most words starting with h, and the French

word ‘y’, you do pronounce the s on the end of les. It sounds like the ‘z’ in the English word

zip: les amis, les hotels”.6

b. Using a with le, la, l’ and les

The French word ‘a’ when translated to English could either be ‘at’ or ‘to’ depending

on the context of usage. Now, we will consider the rules guiding its usage. Remember that le

and la changes to l’ when they appear before vowels and most words starting with ‘h’.

 When ‘a’ is followed by le, ‘au’ is realized.

au cinema to/at the cinema

au professeur to the teacher

 When ‘a’ is followed by les, ‘aux’ is realized.

aux maisons to the houses

aux etudiants to the students

 When ‘a’ is followed by la or l’, nothing changes.

a la bibliotheque to/at the library

a l’hotel to/at the hotel

c. Using ‘de’ with le,la,l’ and les

6
Collins French Grammar, 24.
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The French word ‘de’ could be translated to English as of, from or several different

ways. Now, we will consider the rules guiding its usage. Remember that le and la changes to

l’ when they appear before vowels and most words starting with ‘h’.

 When ‘de’ is followed by le, ‘du’ is realized

du cinema from/of the cinema

du professeur from/of the teacher

 When ‘de’ is followed by les, ‘des’ is realized

des maisons from/of the houses

des etudiants from/of the students

 When ‘de’ is followed by la or l’, nothing changes

de la bibliotheque from/of the library

de l’hotel from/of the hotel

. Using the definite article

The definite articles are used with abstract nouns; concrete nouns; parts of the body;

countries, continents and regions; school subjects, languages and sports; dates; days of the

week and seasons; and finally prices and rates.

 Abstract nouns

The definite articles in French (le, la, l’ and les) is used in more or less the same way

as we use the in English, but it is also used in French in a few places where you might not

expect it. In English definite article the misses out in abstract nouns like: time, qualities or

ideas. In French, the definite articles precede such words like flu, prix, etc.
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Les prix montent Prices are rising.

J’ai la grippe I’ve got flu.

Je n’ai pas le temps I don’t have time.

There are exceptions to the use of definite article in abstract nouns. This could be

observed in some set phrases using avoir, avec or sans. Consider the examples below.

avoir faim to be hungry

avec plaisir with pleasure

sans doute probably

 Concrete Nouns

The definite article is used when talking about nouns which are material. The use of

the definite article here is adopted when you are saying something that is true about a thing in

general. This is not applicable to the English usage of definite articles.

Je n’aime pas le café. I don’t like coffee.

Les ordinateurs coutent très cher. Computers are very expensive.

Les professeurs ne gagnent pas beaucoup. Teachers don’t earn very much.

 Parts of the body

In describing a part of the body in English, possessive determiners (my or his) are

used, but in French the definite article is used.

Tourne la tete a gauche. Turn your head to the left.

Il s’est casse le bras. He’s broken his arm.

J’ai mal a la gorge. My throat hurts.

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 Countries, Continents and Regions

The definite article precedes names of countries, continents and regions.

a Bretagne Brittany

l’Europe Europe

la France est très belle. France is very beautiful.

J’ai achete ce poster au Japon. I bought this poster in Japan.

Je viens des Etats-Unis. I come from the United States.

Variations are observed in names of countries which are feminine. These names are

preceded by en (meaning to or in), thus there’s no need to add the definite article.

en Ecosse to/in Scotland

en Allemagne to/in Germany

 School Subjects, Languages and Sports

The definite article precedes names school subjects, languages and sports.

Les Maths Maths

le Français French

le foot Football

The definite article is also not used in this case after en.

Comment est-ce qu’ on dit ‘fils’ en anglais? How do you say ‘fils’ in English

Sophie est nulle en chimie. Sophie’s no good at Chemistry.

 With the verb ‘Parler’

When the verb parler (meaning to speak) in front of the name of the language, you do

not always need to use the definite article in French.

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Tu parles espagnol? Do you speak Spanish?

ll parle bien l’anglais. He speaks English well.

 Dates, Days of the Week and Seasons

The definite article is used when we talk about things we do regularly or habitually. It

is precedes days of the week or seasons.

Elle part le 7 mai. She’s leaving on the seventh of May.

Je vais chez ma grand-mere le dimanche. I go to my grandmother’s on Sundays.

Like previously noted, you donot use definite article after en.

En hiver nous faisons du ski. In winter we go skiing.

 Prices and Rates

You often find definite article in phrases that tell you about rates or prices. Consider

the following examples,

1. 6 euros le kilo - 6 euros a kilo 2. 3 euros la piece - 3 euros each.

3. On roulait a 100 kilometrès a l’heure - We were doing 100 kilometers an hour.

3.2 Les Articles Indefinis (The indefinite articles)

There are three indefinite articles: un, une, and des. Un is used for masculine singular

nouns, une is used for feminine singular nouns, and des is used for masculine and feminine

plural nouns.7 An indefinite article designates a non-specific part of a whole, like 'a cog in a

machine'. Now, let’s consider some points to note in the use of indefinite articles.

7
“Indefinite Articles” Busuu: a Chegg Service, April 12, 2022, accessed accessed 6th November, 2023 at
06:11AM W.A.T. https://www.busuu.com/en/french/indefinite-articles
 L e s a r t i c l e s P a g e | 11

a. In French, to select the appropriate indefinite article for a noun, you will need to

consider the gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) of the noun in

French.

With masculine noun With feminine noun

Singular un une
Plural des des

 un is used in front of masculine singular nouns.

un roi a king

un chien a dog

un jardin a garden

 une is used in front of feminine singular nouns.

une reine a queen

une souris a mouse

une porte a door

 des (some/any) means some used in front of masculine and feminine plurals, and

whatever letter starts them. des is realized from the combination of de + les and has other

meanings, such as saying who something belongs to or where something is from. It is

pertinent to note that when des precedes a consonant you do not pronounce the s on the end

of des. Conversely, when it’s a vowel and most words starting with h, you pronounce the s

like the z in the word zip.

des chiens some dogs

des souris some mice

des amis some friends

b. The Indefinite article in negative sentences

 L e s a r t i c l e s P a g e | 12

In English, we use words not and never to indicate denial, negation or refusal in

sentences. Such sentences are called negative sentences. For instance, “I don’t have a pen”. In

French, words like ne … pas (not) and ne … jemais (never) are used to indicate negation.

 When un, une or des come after the aforementioned words, rule in French demands

that they are change to de. Let’s take some examples;

Je n’ai pas de velo. I don’t have a bike.

Nous n’avons pas de cousins. We don’t have any cousins.

 de changes to d’ in front of a word starting with a vowel and most words starting with h.

Je n’ai pas d’ordinateur I don’t have a computer

Il n’y a pas d’horloge dans la sale There isn’t a clock in the room

 Another transformation is witnessed with some common adjectives like beau, bon and

petit, which can precede a noun instead of coming after it. In a situation where an adjective

precedes a plural noun, des changes to de.

J’ai recu de beaux cadeaux I got some lovely presents

Cette region a de très jolis villages This area has some very pretty villages

c. The meaning of des

 The French word des can mean different things in English, one of which is the word

some.

J’ai un chien, deux chats et des souris. I’ve got a dog, two cats and some mice.

Tu veux des chips? Would you like some crisps?

 In negative sentences, des is translated as any, or is not translated at all.

Tu as des frères? Have you got any brothers?

Il n’y a pas d’œufs. There aren’t any eggs.

Avez-vous des timbres? Do you have stamps?

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d. Using the indefinite article

In French, the way we use the indefinite article is much the same way we used some,

any or a in English language, the point of divergence lies where the indefinite article is not

used. The indefinite article is not used with the adjective quell and when you speak of one’s

career or profession. Let’s take some examples to aid our understanding.

 With the adjective quell (meaning what a)

Quel dommage! What a shame!

Quelle surprise! What a surprise!

Quelle bonne idee! What a good deal!

 When we talk of people’s profession

Il est professeur. He’s a teacher.

Ma mere est infirmiere. My mother’s a nurse.

 When you use c’est (to mean he/she is), you make use of un or une. When you use the

plural equivalent, ce sont (which means they are), you make use of des.

C’est un medecin. He’s/She’s a doctor.

Ce sont des acteurs. They’re actors.

3.3 Les Articles Partifis

The partitive articles: du, de la, de l’ and des are used to give information on the

amount or quantity of a particular thing. du (de l’) is used for masculine singular nouns, de la

(de l’) is used for feminine singular nouns, and des is used for masculine and feminine plural

nouns. du is the combination of de + le and as such has other roles it could perform: like
 L e s a r t i c l e s P a g e | 14

telling us the owner of a thing or taking us where a thing is from. Note that de + le and de la

change to de l’ when they are used in front of a word stating with a vowel and most words

starting with h, and the French word y.

 du is used in front of masculine singular nouns.

du beurre some/any butter

du jus d’orange some/any orange juice

 de la is used in front of feminine singular nouns.

de la viande some/any meat

de la margarine some/any margarine

 de l’ is used in front of singular nouns that start with a vowel and most nouns starting

with h, whether masculine and feminine.

de l’argent (masculine) some/any money

de l’eau (feminine) some/any water

de l’eau (feminine) some/any grass

 des is used in front of plural nouns, whatever masculine or feminine and whatever

letter starts them. des is realized from the combination of de + les and has other meanings,

such as saying who something belongs to or where something is from.

des chiens some dogs

des souris some mice

des amis some friends

The partitive article in Negative sentences

In French, we use words not and never to indicate denial, negation or refusal in

sentences. Such sentences are called negative sentences. For instance, “I don’t have a pen”. In

French, words like ne … pas (not) and ne … jemais (never) are used to indicate negation.
 L e s a r t i c l e s P a g e | 15

When these negative words are adopted in a sentence, du, de la, de l’ and des change to

become de. de changes to d’ in front of a word starting with a vowel and most nouns starting

with h.

Nous n’avons pas de beuree. We don’t have any butter

Je ne mange jamais de viande. I never eat meat.

Il n’a pas d’argent. He doesn’t have any money.

There are some very common adjectives, like beau, bon and petit, that comes before

the noun instead of after it. When an adjective comes before a plural noun, des changes to de.

for instance:

J’ai recu de beaux cadeaux. I got some lovely presents.

Cette region a de tres jolis villages. This area has some very pretty villages.

The menaing of du, de la, de l’ and des.

 du, de la, de l’ and des are often translated into English as some or any, but there are

times when no word is used in English to translate the French equivalents. Thus, though there

might not be English equivalents for them, the indefinite article can never miss out in French.

Il me doit de l’argent. He owes me (some) money.

Est-ce qu’il y a des lettres pour moi? Are there any letters for me?

Elle ne veut pas de beurre. She doesn’t want any butter.