Articles

An article is a word that appears with a noun and helps show how the noun is being used. English articles include the, a, and an.

French uses definite, indefinite, and partitive articles. Their form depends on the gender and number of the noun, and the type of article depends on what the speaker means.

Definite articles

Definite articles usually correspond to English the. French uses different forms according to gender and number:

Use a definite article when referring to a particular person or thing:

French also uses the definite article when speaking about something in general:

English often omits the in these general statements, while French keeps the definite article.

Indefinite articles

Indefinite articles usually correspond to English a, an, or some. They are used with countable nouns that are not yet identified as specific.

The article agrees with the noun:

Use un or une for one unspecified person or thing and des for an unspecified plural quantity.

Partitive articles

Partitive articles express an amount of something that is not being counted individually. English often uses no article or words such as some.

Partitive articles are common with food, drinks, materials, and other things treated as an amount:

The partitive article does not give an exact quantity. It simply indicates an unspecified amount.

Article choice

The article depends on how the noun is being presented.

Use the definite article for something specific or for a general category:

Use an indefinite article for one or more countable things that are not specific:

Use a partitive article for an unspecified amount:

The same noun can take different articles depending on the meaning:

Here, le café refers to coffee in general, du café to an unspecified amount, and un café to one serving.

Articles in negative sentences

In many negative sentences, un, une, des, and the partitive articles change to de or d'.

The change follows this pattern:

ne + verb + pas de + noun

The affirmative and negative forms show how the article changes:

Definite articles normally remain unchanged:

After être, indefinite articles also normally remain:

Article omission

French usually uses articles more often than English, but some constructions omit them.

Articles are commonly omitted after être when stating a profession, nationality, or religion without additional description:

An article can return when the noun is described or identified more specifically:

Articles are also omitted in some fixed expressions, labels, and constructions after quantity expressions.

Whether an article is used depends on the construction as well as the noun.

Elision and contraction

French changes some articles when they appear next to vowels or certain prepositions.

The definite articles le and la become l' before a vowel or silent h:

The prepositions à and de also combine with le and les:

These contractions appear in phrases such as:

There is no contraction with la or l':

From learning to practice

When reading or listening to French, notice which article appears before each noun. Pay attention to whether the noun is specific, general, countable, or treated as an unspecified amount.

Practice learning nouns together with their gender and comparing phrases with le, un, and du, or la, une, and de la. Recognizing these differences will make it easier to choose the correct article in both simple phrases and complete sentences.