A1 Grammar
Articles
What are articles?
Articles are words like:
👉 the / a / some
They are used before nouns to show whether something is:
- specific (the)
- non-specific (a / some)
In French, articles agree with the gender and number of the noun.
1. Definite articles (the)
Used when talking about a specific thing or something already known.
| Form | Used with |
|---|---|
| le | masculine singular |
| la | feminine singular |
| les | plural |
| l’ | before a vowel or silent h |
Examples:
le chat — the cat
la maison — the house
les livres — the books
l’ami — the friend
❌ le ami
❌ la homme
2. Indefinite articles (a / an / some)
Used when talking about something non-specific or something new.
| Form | Used with |
|---|---|
| un | masculine singular |
| une | feminine singular |
| des | plural |
Examples:
un chat — a cat
une maison — a house
des livres — some books
3. Contracted articles (à / de + article)
When à or de is followed by le / les, they contract.
With de
- de + le → du
- de + les → des
du pain (some bread / of the bread)
des amis (some friends / of the friends)
With à
- à + le → au
- à + les → aux
au cinéma (to the cinema)
aux États-Unis (to the United States)
Summary table
| Type | Forms |
|---|---|
| Definite | le, la, les, l’ |
| Indefinite | un, une, des |
| Contracted | du, des, au, aux |
Common mistakes
❌ le amie
❌ à le cinéma
❌ de les étudiants
✅ l’amie
✅ au cinéma
✅ des étudiants
Summary
- Articles come before nouns
- They agree with gender and number
- l’ is used before vowels or silent h
- du / des / au / aux are mandatory contractions
#article#determiner