Definite and Indefinite Articles

French articles
DEFINITE ARTICLES: le, la, l’, les

INDEFINITE ARTICLES: un, une, des
Vocabulaire
les articles
• le the (m.sing.)
DEFINITE • la the (f.sing.)
• l’ the (m/f + voyelle)
• les the (m/f pl.)
• un a/an (m.sing.)
INDEFINITE • une a/an (f.sing.)
• des some (m/f pl.)
le, la, l’, les (definite articles)
• What do these words mean?
These words ALL mean THE.
• So how do you know which one to

use?????
When to use which one?
 Well, first of all, if the noun is plural,
there is only one definite article you can
use: les
• Example to say the teachers you would

say:
• les professeurs.
 (If a noun is plural, you don’t really need

to know if it’s masculine or feminine in
order to choose the correct article- because
there is only ONE plural article to choose from: les)
If your noun is singular (that means
you’re talking about only one thing),
then you have to choose from le, la, l’ .
Your choice of definite article depends

on the gender of the noun that follows
(is the word masculine? or feminine?)
• In French, every noun has a gender—it

is either masculine or feminine.
• In order to choose between le or la,

you have to know the gender of the
noun.
Use LA with feminine nouns
Since the noun table (table) is feminine

if you want to say the table you would
say:
• la table.
• Since carte (map) is feminine, how would you say the
map?
• la carte
• Magnifique!
Use LE with masculine nouns
Since the noun crayon (pencil) is
masculine if you want to say the pencil
you would say:
• le crayon.
• Since stylo (pen) is masculine, how would
you say the pen?
• le stylo
• Fantastique!
• So when do we use l’ ?
• See if you can figure out the rule:

• l’oignon (m) = the onion
• l’agrafeuse (f) = the stapler
• l’école (f) = the school
• What do these FRENCH words have in common?
That’s right!!!
They all:
•Start with a vowel
•AND are singular.
Use L’ with singular masculine or feminine
nouns that start with a VOWEL
l’ is used to mean the in front of a

masculine or feminine noun starting
with a vowel.
• Example: l’ ordinateur
• So let’s move on to indefinite articles…
un, une, des (indefinite articles)
un, une & des are indefinite articles.
(They don’t refer to any specific item—
any one will do.)
un/une = a (or an)
Des =some
Examples
•un livre = a book •un oignon =an onion
•une portion = a serving •une pomme=an apple
•des frites = some fries
un, une, des
 In front of a masculine singular noun use…
un
 In front of a feminine singular noun use…
Une
 In front of a masculine or feminine plural noun use…

des
In French objects, things, ideas, feelings etc. are masculine
or feminine. So how do you know if table, pen, chair, book,
birthday, liberty, government are male or female names?
There is no rule, but sometimes the ending of the word can
help.
1. LES MOTS FEMININS
Words ending in:
• -ure: la voiture, la nature, l'ouverture, la fermeture etc.
• -té: la beauté, la fidélité, la bonté, la générosité etc.
• -ion (-tion, -xion, -sion): l'opinion, l'information, la connexion, la

conversion
• -ie: la magie, la philosophie, l'économie
• -eur: la peur, la fleur, la chaleur

Exceptions: le bonheur, le malheur
• -ée: la durée, la pensée, l'arrivée

Exceptions: le musée, le lycée
• -ance, -ence: la confiance, l'intelligence, la romance, l'influence

Exceptions: le silence
2. LES MOTS MASCULINS
Words ending in:
• -ment: le gouvernement, le bâtiment
• -isme: le socialisme, le réalisme
• -al: le journal, le capital
• -ier: le pommier, l'abricotier
• -oir: le bavoir, le couloir
• -age: le fromage, le voyage, le garage

Exceptions: la page, la plage, l'image, la rage
Révision
• 1. _____
le livre (m) = the book
le prix (m) = the price
• 2. _____
la coupe glacée (f) = the ice cream
• 3. _____
sundae
les
• 4. _____boissons (f) = the drinks
les
• 5. _____oignons (m) = the onions
• 6. _____l’ ordinateur (m) = the computer
Le vocabulaire de l'école en
français
 une école
 une salle de classe
 des élèves
des élèves
un professeur
 un tableau
 Une table
 Une chaise
 Un cartable
 Un livre
Un Cahier
 Une trousse
 Un crayon
Un stylo
Une gomme
 un taille-crayon
des crayons de couleur

 une règle
Plus de vocabulaire
 Bienvenue - Welcome
 Voilà - there is , there’s
 Dans - in
 Il y a - there is
 Et - and
The end

Definite and Indefinite Articles

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French articles

DEFINITE ARTICLES: le, la, l’, les

These words ALL mean THE.

• So how do you know which one to

• Example to say the teachers you would

 (If a noun is plural, you don’t really need

Your choice of definite article depends

• In French, every noun has a gender—it

• In order to choose between le or la,

Since the noun table (table) is feminine

• See if you can figure out the rule:

l’ is used to mean the in front of a

 In front of a masculine or feminine plural noun use…

or feminine. So how do you know if table, pen, chair, book,

birthday, liberty, government are male or female names?

There is no rule, but sometimes the ending of the word can

Words ending in:

• -ure: la voiture, la nature, l'ouverture, la fermeture etc.

• -té: la beauté, la fidélité, la bonté, la générosité etc.

• -ion (-tion, -xion, -sion): l'opinion, l'information, la connexion, la

• -ie: la magie, la philosophie, l'économie

• -eur: la peur, la fleur, la chaleur

• -ée: la durée, la pensée, l'arrivée

• -ance, -ence: la confiance, l'intelligence, la romance, l'influence

Words ending in:

• -ment: le gouvernement, le bâtiment

• -isme: le socialisme, le réalisme

• -al: le journal, le capital

• -ier: le pommier, l'abricotier

• -oir: le bavoir, le couloir

• -age: le fromage, le voyage, le garage

 une salle de classe

des crayons de couleur

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