Les Articles
In French, there are three different types of articles; definite articles, indefinite articles, and
partitive articles. Each type of article comes before a noun in a sentence.
Par exemple :
Le chat est jeune.
Article Noun
Les articles définis
The first type of article is the definite article. Definite articles describe a noun that refers to an
object or a person. In English, definite articles refer to the word “the”.
In French, there are four different ways to signify the word “the” as a definite article:
Le used with masculine, singular nouns
La used with feminine, singular nouns
Les used with plural nouns
L’ used with nouns when the next word begins with a vowel or “h”
For Example :
Les garçons mangent tout le gâteau.
The boys eat all the cake. Les and le are the definite articles
Les articles indéfinis
The secondary category of articles in French are known as indefinite articles. Indefinite articles
refer to a precise object or person. Any noun that can be counted is an indefinite article. In
English, the word “a” or “an” are used.
In French, there are three different articles used to signifiy “a” or “an”:
Un used with singular masculine nouns
Une used with singular feminine nouns
Des used with plural nouns
For Example:
Un homme a couru pour une association caritative hier.
A man ran for a charity yesterday. Un and une are the indefinite articles.
Les articles partitifs :
The last category of articles in French are partitive articles. Partitive articles refer to nouns that
cannot be counted. When translated, they refer to the words “some” or “any” in English.
In French there are four partitive articles:
Du used with singular masculine nouns
De la used with singular feminine nouns
Des used with plural nouns
De l’ used when the next word begins with a vowel or an “h”
For Example :
Nous avons acheté de l’ail, du pain, et de la laitue pour dîner ce soir.
We bought garlic, bread, and lettuce for dinner tonight. De l’, du, and de la are the partitive
articles.
Attention ! Sometimes in English articles are omitted when speaking or writing. Usually, in
English, “the” and “some” are left out; however in French, you cannot leave out any articles. All
nouns must be preceded by an article.
Par exemple :
Il a acheté de la crème Chantilly hier.
He bought whipped cream yesterday. The word “some” is omitted in English, but in
French it must be present.
La négation :
When you use a negative phrase in French; ne…pas, you must use the article “de”. However,
you only change indefinite and partitive articles in negative phrases. Definite articles are never
changed, regardless if the phrase is a negation.
Un, une, des, du, de la, de l’ de
For Example :
Elle boit une limonade. Elle ne boit pas de limonade.
Nous mangeons de la crème caramel après diner. Nous ne mangeons pas de crème
caramel après diner.
Les mères aiment l’école nouvelle. Les mères n’aiment pas l’école nouvelle.
Les verbes de préférence :
In French, certain words do not ever change their article. These verbs, verbs of preference, use
definite articles each time, including negative sentences.
Aimer, adorer, détester, préférer use definite articles each time.
Les expressions des quantités :
When referring to quantities of a thing, the article “de” takes the place of the other articles.
Beaucoup de a lot of
Assez de enough
Une livre de a pound of
Un verre de a glass of
Un peu de a little
Trop de too much
Un kilo de a kilo of
Une douzaine de a dozen of
Une tasse de a cup of
Un litre de a liter of
For Example :
Tu as bu un verre de vin rouge avec dîner.
You drank a glass of red wine with dinner. De” is used because there is a
quantity, in this case a glass.
Les contractions :
Lastly, certain articles become contractions when a preposition is used before the article.
à + le au
à + les aux
de + le du
de + les des
For Example :
Les femmes vont aller au cinéma le samedi prochain.
The women are going to the movies next Saturday. Because “cinéma” would have “à”
+“le” before it, “le” is dropped, and
“au” is used in its place.
My Experience :
While learning French, the articles for me are easy to make small mistakes with. It is easy to
miss a preposition, or a quantity. These little words change the article in a sentence. While the
rules are fairly simple and easy to understand, they are easy to miss. For me, when learning the
articles and writing French, I take time to look at the sentence, and its components. This way, by
taking my time, I can pick out when there are certain identifier words such as “beaucoup” or
“aimer” which will change my answer. While it may take more time, the extra effort can help in
the long run.
Exercice : Utiliser le article correct.
1. J’ai apporté ____ bifteck pour ____ barbecue.
2. ___ semaine dernière, elle a acheté ____ jupes pour ____ Saint-Valentin.
3. Hier, elles ont vu ____ film sur les animaux ____ désert.
4. Il n’est pas adorer ____ fille.
5. J’ai mangé trop ____ gâteau après déjeuner.
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Les noms, les articles et les accents – Français 1 – DELF niveau
A1
French Nouns, Articles, and Accents – French 1 – A1
This French 1 lesson is part of Anne’s French progressive course for
the total beginner student. It’s designed to introduce you to the
basics of French - how to pronounce French sounds, learn
numbers, how to order in a restaurant, how to introduce yourself…
- and to move your French forward to the next level.
Take every task in this lesson one day at a time. The assignments in
this lesson are meant to keep you busy for a week.
Liens pour cette fiche
[Link] la leçon sur French Hour
• [Link]
2.Téléchargez l’audio
• [Link]
[Link] le cours French 1 – A1
• [Link]
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French Gender – General Rules
Le genre en français – Règles générales
Print this lesson and download the recording.
Read and practice several times in a short period of time.
That’s the key to success to bring your French to the next level!
Imprimez cette fiche et téléchargez l’enregistrement.
Lisez et révisez plusieurs fois en peu de temps.
C’est ça, la clé du succès pour faire des progrès en français !
Liens pour cette fiche
[Link] la leçon sur French Hour
• [Link]
2.Téléchargez l’audio
• [Link]
3. Voici le lien du cours
• [Link]
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The Gender of Nouns
French nouns are often paired with an article and figuring out its gender is
not always logical.
Why do you say un livre (a book) and une livre (half a pound)? Just
because, I'm afraid. Therefore, it’s important to memorize the gender with
every new noun you learn.
The gender is shown in the article: le, la, un or une or in adjectives such as
ce, cette… You’ll see the gender of nouns in front of each word in all of
the FRENCH HOUR lists.
Let's see how this works.
Nouns you can count
• when the noun is masculine
the = le --> the chicken = le poulet
a/an = un --> a hamburger = un steak haché
• when the noun is feminine
the = la --> the salad = la salade
a/an = une --> an appetizer = une entrée
• when the noun starts with a vowel
the = l’ --> the orange = l’orange
[some] = de l’ --> [some] water = de l’eau
• when the noun is plural, no matter the gender
the = les --> the drinks = les boissons
[some] = des --> [some] desserts = des desserts
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Nouns you can't count
(one water, one milk)
When you want “some” of something (some water), when you want a
piece/slice of something, when the number of the noun is approximate.
• [some] + masculine = du --> [some] wine = du vin
• [some] + feminine = de la --> [some] soda = de la limonade
• [some] + plural = des --> [some] drinks = des boissons
masculine feminine before a vowel plural
the le la l’ les
a/an un une de l’ des
[some] du de la de l’ des
Remember my 'trick' to learn the gender of nouns: let’s take the first word
on the French Alphabet list. Don’t just learn “addition”, but learn 'une
addition' instead.
Prenez des notes – Your notes
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Spotting if a word masculine or feminine
Even though knowing if a word is masculine or feminine is not always
logical, there are a few tricks you can hang onto to spot a gender.
• nouns ending in –tion are feminine
• nouns ending in –ade –aison–ale –ance –ence –ette –ie –ode –ole
–sion –té –tée –ude –ure tend to be feminine
• nouns ending in –acle –age –asme –eau –isme –ment –phone –
scope and nouns that come from a Foreign language tend to be
masculine
• foreign words - words coming from another language - tend to be
masculine
1. -acle .... m .... spectacle 14. -ode .... f .... ode
2. -ade .... f .... chiffonade 15. -ole .... f .... école
3. -age .... m .... fromage 16. -phone .... m ....
4. -aison .... f .... maison microphone
5. -ale .... f .... rafale 17. -scope .... m .... téléscope
6. -ance .... f .... 18. -sion .... f .... contusion
accoutumance 19. -té .... f .... fierté
7. -asme .... m .... sarcasme 20. -tée .... f .... nuitée
8. -eau .... m .... couteau 21. -tion .... f .... information
9. -ence .... f .... prudence 22. -ude .... f .... habitude
10. -ette .... t .... serviette 23. -ure .... f .... culture
11. -ie .... f .... minutie 24. foreign words .... m ....
12. -isme .... m .... romantisme parking
13. -ment .... m .... sentiment
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Exercice – Practice
Quiz - French Gender – General Rules
Décidez entre le masculin ou féminin, d'après la fin du mot. Choisissez a.
ou b.
Decide between the masculine or feminine form, according to the
ending of the word. Choose a. or b.
1. spectacle 6. contusion
a. féminin a. féminin
b. masculin b. masculin
2. fromage 7. minutie
a. féminin a. féminin
b. masculin b. masculin
3. nuitée 8. sarcasme
a. féminin a. féminin
b. masculin b. masculin
4. information 9. serviette
a. féminin a. féminin
b. masculin b. masculin
5. couteau 10. parking
a. masculin a. masculin
b. féminin b. féminin
Réponses en vert – Answers in green
1) spectacle 6) contusion
a) féminin a) féminin
b) masculin b) masculin
2) fromage 7) minutie
a) féminin a) féminin
b) masculin b) masculin
3) nuitée 8) sarcasme
a) féminin a) féminin
b) masculin b) masculin
4) information 9) serviette
a) féminin a) féminin
b) masculin b) masculin
5) couteau 10)parking
a) masculin a) masculin
b) féminin b) féminin
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LE, LA, LES, UN, UNE DES - Articles Définis et Indéfinis
LE, LA, LES, UN, UNE DES - French Definite and Indefinite Articles
Print this lesson and download the recording.
Read and practice several times in a short period of time.
That’s the key to success to bring your French to the next level!
Imprimez cette fiche et téléchargez l’enregistrement.
Lisez et révisez plusieurs fois en peu de temps.
C’est ça, la clé du succès pour faire des progrès en français !
Liens pour cette fiche
[Link] la leçon sur French Hour
• [Link]
2.Téléchargez l’audio
• [Link]
3. Voici le lien du cours
• [Link]
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Definite articles – THE
THE has 4 translations in French: LE, LA, L’, LES. French words have a
gender. For instance, a cheese is masculine and a baguette is feminine.
The gender shows up in the article, but also in the adjective, so it’s
important to know them:
the fresh baguette and the fresh cheese
--> la baguette fraîche et le fromage frais
Sometimes, the gender is obvious (a man, a woman); sometimes, there is
no logic to it – why do you say le somme (the nap) and la somme (the
amount)? Therefore, it is necessary to memorize the gender with every
new noun you are learning.
Rule for the definite article THE
• when the noun is masculine
the = le –> the chicken = le poulet
• when the noun is feminine
the = la –> the salad = la salade
• when the noun starts with a vowel
the = l’–> the check = l’addition
• when the noun is plural, no matter the gender
the = les –> the drinks = les boissons
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Exercice – Practice
Les articles définis
Fill in the blanks with LE, LA or LES. Review the gender of the noun on the
first lesson “French Alphabet”. The answers are in the last column.
the kilo ___ kilo le kilo
the Euro ___ euro l’euro
the quarter ___ quart le quart
the strawberry ___ fraise la fraise
the check ___ addition l’addition
the apple ___ pomme la pomme
the hotels ___ hôtels les hôtels
the salads ___ salades les salades
the Tuesdays ___ mardis les mardis
the teas ___ thés les thés
Prenez des notes – Your notes
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Indefinite articles - A & AN
A/AN has 3 translations in French: UN, UNE, DES. Here is how it works.
French words have a gender. For instance, a blouse is masculine and a
men’s shirt is feminine (Go figure!). The gender shows up in the article, but
also in the adjective:
a small shirt --> une petite chemise
Sometimes, the gender is obvious (a man, a woman); sometimes, there is
no logic to it – why do you say un manche (a handle) and une manche
(a sleeve)? Therefore, it is necessary to memorize the gender with every
new noun you are learning.
Rule for the indefinite article A and AN
• when the noun is masculine
a/an = un --> a hat = un chapeau
• when the noun is feminine
a/an = une --> an earring = une boucle d’oreille
• when the noun is plural, no matter the gender
some = des --> some coats = des manteaux
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Exercice – Practice
Exercice sur les articles indéfinis
Fill in the blanks with UN, UNE or DES. Review the gender of the noun on
the first lesson “French Alphabet”. The answers are in the last column.
a kilo ___ kilo un kilo
a Euro ___ euro un euro
a quarter ___ quart un quart
a strawberry ___ fraise une fraise
a check ___ addition une addition
an apple ___ pomme une pomme
(some) hotels ___ hôtels des hôtels
(some) salads ___ salades des salades
(some) Tuesdays ___ mardis des mardis
(some) teas ___ thés des thés
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Prenez des notes – Your notes
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Les accents en français : é, è, ê, ç et autres œ
French Accents: é, è, ê, ç and other œ
Print this lesson and download the recording.
Read and practice several times in a short period of time.
That’s the key to success to bring your French to the next level!
Imprimez cette fiche et téléchargez l’enregistrement.
Lisez et révisez plusieurs fois en peu de temps.
C’est ça, la clé du succès pour faire des progrès en français !
Liens pour cette fiche
[Link] la leçon sur French Hour
• [Link]
2.Téléchargez l’audio
• [Link]
3. Voici le lien du cours
• [Link]
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Les accents en français : é, è, ê, ç et autres œ
The French alphabet has 26 letters, just like in English.
However, some letters have However, some letters have accents, which
makes it a longer alphabet.
Accents in French serve two main purposes:
1. to modify the sound of a word
o dés = dice / dès = as soon as
o lés = widths of fabric/wallpaper / lès = next to
2. to distinguish the meaning of two words that would otherwise be
spelled the same way
o la = the / là = there
o ou = or / où = where
Be careful, an accent in writing doesn’t mean a stress in speaking.
Where do French accents come from?
In the Middle Ages, the French language started losing certain sounds,
such as its Ss. Then, French writers started to replace the Ss with an accent.
However, not all Frenchmen were writing accents with the same
consistency. It is only later on and little by little that the accents became
popular in France. However, there was no general rule. As a result, written
French of today is not consistent in terms of accents.
In the meantime, English has kept an older form of spelling, keeping Ss. As
a result, often – not always – when you see an accent on a French word,
the English translation often has kept the original S.
Examples
• beast …. f …. bête • master …. m …. maître
• castle …. m …. château • oyster …. f …. huître
• cost …. m …. coût • pasta …. f …. pâte
• disgusting …. m/f …. dégoûtant/e • school …. f …. école
• fest …. f …. fête • stall …. m …. étal
• haste …. f …. hâte • student …. m/f …. étudiant/e
• hospital …. m …. hôpital • study …. f …. étude
• island …. f …. île • task …. f …. tâche
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Most common accents
type of where name purpose example
accent
´ é accent aigu /e/ becomes /é/ été - summer
(acute)
` àèù accent grave distinguishing the meaning la - the // là - there
(grave)
ˆ âêîôû accent replaces an old S + vowel pâte - pasta
circonflexe
(circumflex)
ç ç+a, o, u cédille /k/ becomes /s/ Ça va ? – How are
(cedilla) you?
¨ ëïü tréma keep two vowel-sound Noël – Christmas
(diaresis) separate
œ mostly oe collés tends to be œuf – egg
in front or pronounced /eu/ + vowel .
of e dans l’o and œstrogène
i, u and s pronounced /é/ +
consonant
1. Accent aigu (acute) 4. Cédille (cedilla)
Looks like: ´ Looks like: ç
Goes over the E –> é Goes under the C and only
Example: été – summer before an A, O, U –> ça, ço, çu
Example: Ça va ? – How are
2. Accent grave (grave) you?
Looks like: `
Goes over the A, E and U –> à è 5. Tréma (dieresis or umlaut)
ù Looks like: ¨
Example: là – there Goes over the E, I, U –> ë ï ü
Example: noël – Christmas
3. Accent circonflexe (circumflex)
Looks like: ˆ [Link] there is also the œ (oe collés or e
Goes over the A, E, I, O, U –> â ê î dans l’o), which is not an accent, but a
ôû letter used in the French alphabet. It
Example: pâte – pasta tends to be pronounced /eu/ in front of
a vowel and it's pronounced /é/ in front
of a consonant.
Looks like: œ
Generally goes before the I, U, S
–> œi, œu, œs
Example: œuf – egg
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Exercice – Practice
Exercice 1
Look back at the words in the two left column and write its correct spelling
in the right column. The first word 'bonjour' is already filled-in as an
example.
bonjour bonjôur bonjour
genial génial
hotel hôtel
ici içi
rouge roüge
salade sâlade
the thé
vert vèrt
Xeres Xérès
zut züt
Answers – Réponses
bonjour bonjôur bonjour
genial génial génial
hotel hôtel hôtel
ici içi ici
rouge roüge rouge
salade sâlade salade
the thé thé
vert vèrt vert
Xeres Xérès Xérès
zut züt zut
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Exercice 2
Fill in the blanks with one of the two words provided.
_______ (La, Là) fête était _______ (a, à) Loguivy-_______(les, lès)-
Lannion, _______ (ou, où) les grands-parents avaient la maison
familiale. _______ (Les, Lès) fêtes se faisaient toujours _______ (la, là).
La _______ (tache, tâche) de France était de mettre la table.
Lorsqu’elle _______ (a, à) sorti la nappe _______ (du, dû) buffet, elle s’est
aperçue qu’il y avait une _______ (tache, tâche). Elle aurait _______ (du,
dû) vérifier avant _______ (ou, où) en choisir une autre.
In English
The party was at Loguivy-lès-Lannion, where the grandparents had a
family house. Parties were always there. France’s task was to set the table.
When she took the tablecloth out from the dresser, she realized there was
a stain. She should have checked beforehand or picked another one.
Réponses – Answers
La fête était à Loguivy-lès-Lannion, où les grands-parents avaient la
maison familiale. Les fêtes se faisaient toujours là. La tâche de France était
de mettre la table. Lorsqu’elle a sorti la nappe du buffet, elle s’est
aperçue qu’il y avait une tache. Elle aurait dû vérifier avant ou en choisir
une autre.
Ensuite – Next
Free quiz
[Link]
in the Homophones Course
[Link]
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Prenez des notes – Your notes
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Beach time!
Color Adjective exercise
IN FRENCH, when you are using adjectives to describe or tell about something, most color
adjectives should match and follow the word THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO DESCRIBE. For
example, le chien brun or the brown dog.
Adjectives usually match the gender of a word, which is either masculine or feminine.
These are the basic rules:
For feminine words, add an “e” to the end of the color adjective
i.e. la boÎte bleue – the blue box
For feminine plural words, add an “e” and an “s” to the end of the color adjective
i.e. les salades vertes – the green salads
for masculine plural words, add an “s” to the end of the color adjective
i.e. les cercles noirs – the black circles
copy the phrase into your book and
translate from English to French
1. the brown sand
2. the blue sea
3. the white cloud
4. the yellow sun
5. the gray sky
copy the phrase into your book and
translate from French to english
1. le sable blanc
2. la lune jaune
3. le ciel noir
4. les nuages gris
5. la mer violette
©[Link]
Big & little things in the garden
Size Adjective exercise
I IN FRENCH, when you are using adjectives about size to describe or tell about something,
the adjective should match and usually is before the word THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO
DESCRIBE. For example, le petit chien or the small dog.
Adjectives usually match the gender of a word, which is either masculine or feminine.
These are the basic rules:
For feminine words, add an “e” to the end of the adjective
i.e. la petite fille – the small girl
For feminine plural words, add an “e” and an “s” to the end of the adjective
i.e. Les grandes voitures – the big cars
for masculine plural words, add an “s” to the end of the adjective
i.e. les petits cercles– the small circles
copy the phrase into your book and
translate from English to French
1. the small flower
2. the big sun
3. the little garden
4. the big roses
5. the little flower pot
copy the phrase into your book and
translate from French to English
1. la petite rose
2. le grand jardin
3. Les grands pots de fleurs
4. les petits nuages
5. le grand ciel
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