In the French Language, nouns almost always have an article! The article indicates the gender of the noun (masculine or feminine) and its number (singular or plural). There are two types of articles: indefinite (un, une, des) & definite (le, la, les) articles.

 

First of all, what are indefinite and definite articles? The Indefinite Articles mean "a/an" or "some" and are used when you haven't identified the noun yet like "I want a book" (which means any book in general). The Definite Articles all mean "the" and are used when you know exactly which noun you're talking about like "The book is good" (which is now talking about a specific book).

 

Indefinite Articles

In French, the indefinite articles ( or articles indéfinis) are “un” (masculine singular), “une” (feminine singular) and “des” (plural for both genders). We use the indefinite article in the following instances:

 

• To talk about something non-specific 

-  Example using “une”:

Léna est une copine de Lara. 

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• When introducing a new, unmentioned item or idea.

-  Example using “un”:

Léna a acheté un hot-dog. 

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-  Example using “des”:

J'achète des stylos.

 

WARNING FOR “des”

If there is an adjective before a plural noun, the indefinite article “des” will become “de”

-  Example using “de”

Léna et Lara ont acheté de bons hot-dogs. 

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Definite Articles

Definite articles (articles définis) are “le” in the masculine singular, “la” in the feminine singular, “ l’ ” for singular nouns that start with a vowel, and “les” in the plural (both genders). We use the definite article in the following cases

 

• To talk about a specific person or thing

-  Example using “la”:

Léna est la copine de François. 

 

• To refer to a person or thing that has already been mentioned

-  Example using “ l’ ”:

Elle paie l’addition. 

 

-  Example using “le”:

Il achète le journal. 

 

• After the verbs aimer, adorer, préférer, détester

-  Example using “les”

Elle adore les hot-dogs. ​​

 

When to use NO Article 

Ok so we’ve talked about the indefinite and definite articles, but how do we know when not to use them?

 

We don’t use an article for the following:

 

• Jobs

• Religions

• Locations

• Time

 

In summary, articles are a fundamental part of the French language, as a noun is almost always accompanied by one. Their main job is to act as a crucial sign, immediately indicating the noun’s gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural), which is essential for correct French grammar! Please go over your articles! :)