Definite and indefinite articles in French

• The definite article ‘the’ changes depending on gender and quantity in French.

• Le is masculine singular, la is feminine singular, les is plural and l’ comes before singular nouns that start with a vowel or h muet (silent h).

• Use the definite article in French for expressions of liking, generalities, school subjects, languages, countries, body parts, time phrases and to turn an adjective into a noun.

• The indefinite article ‘a/an’ changes in French depending on whether the noun is masculine (un) or feminine (une). Use des for plurals, meaning ‘some’.

• The indefinite article is used similarly to English, but is omitted with job titles, such as elle est prof - she is a teacher.

• Higher Tier - use the definite article with dans (in) but not with en (in, eg a country).

Watch the video to find out how to use articles in French.

The definite article in English is the.

In French, the equivalent word changes depending on whether the noun is masculine, feminine or plural, or if it starts with a vowel or h muet (silent ‘h’).

Le, la, l’ and les all mean ‘the’. Knowing which one to use depends on the gender of the noun, whether it starts with a vowel or h muet (silent ‘h’), and whether it is singular or plural.

In French, the definite article is often needed where it is not used in English.

• Expressions of liking, disliking and preferring:

J’aime les fraises. – I like strawberries.

Je préfère le chocolat. – I prefer chocolate.

• Expressing a generality:

Les chats dorment beaucoup. – Cats (in general) sleep a lot.

• With school subjects and languages:

J’étudie l’histoire. – I study history.

Je voudrais apprendre l’anglais. – I would like to learn English.

• With countries:

L’Algérie est un pays chaud. – Algeria is a hot country.

• With parts of the body:

J’ai les yeux bleus. – I have blue eyes.

• In time phrases:

le weekend dernier – last weekend

le lundi – on Mondays/every Monday

• When turning an adjective into a noun:

seul (alone, only, lonely) – le seul (the only one)

anglais (English, adjective) – l’Anglais (the English person)

The definite article needs to be omitted in the following situations:

• After expressions of quantity such as beaucoup de (a lot of), plus de (more), trop de (too much), peu de (little, few) and assez de (enough). For example:

Il y a beaucoup d’enfants ici. – There are a lot of children here.

Nous avons trop de devoirs. – We have too much homework.

• After negative expressions such as ne … pas de (none/not any) and ne … jamais de (never any). For example:

On n’a pas de chien. – We don’t have a dog.

Je n’ai jamais d’argent. – I never have any money.

The indefinite article in English is a/an.

In French, the equivalent word changes depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine.

To talk about plural nouns in any context where you would usually use an indefinite article, use des (some).

The French indefinite articles are as follows:

The indefinite article is used in almost exactly the same way in French as it is in English.

For example:

J’ai un frère. – I have a brother.

Mes parents vont acheter une nouvelle voiture. – My parents are going to buy a new car.

On va manger des pommes. - We’re going to eat some apples.

No article is needed when talking about jobs, or if you are a member of a team. For example:

Je voudrais être médecin. – I would like to be a doctor.

Je suis membre d’une équipe de foot. – I am a member of a football team.

Practise what you’ve learned about definite and indefinite articles with this quiz.

In French, use the definite article with dans (in) but not with en (in, eg a country). For example:

Il y a une table dans la cuisine. – There is a table in the kitchen.

Je suis en France. – I am in France.

Practise what you’ve learned about definite and indefinite articles with this Higher Tier quiz.

Watch the video for further information on genders and articles in French.

Now you’ve learned about definite and indefinite articles in French, why not explore how to use indefinite and negative adjectives in French?