Articles in French are small useful words that precede a noun and give you information about it, such as gender, number, and specificity. They are among the most common words in the French language and are very rewarding to learn. Even if you only know a few basic French words and phrases, you’re likely already using articles in French.
Now it’s time to master the different forms of French articles in this guide. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of when and how they are used, so that when you see or hear them, you’ll better comprehend the sentence. A great way to practice is through the stories feature of the Rosetta Stone app that helps you learn French while listening to a story from a native French speaker. We’d say it’s the best way (did you catch that?) to practice what you learn about articles in this post!
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What is an article in French?
Similar in function to, but a bit more involved than articles in English, articles in French are a part of speech that belong to the group of déterminants (determiners). They precede a noun and can fall into one of three categories:
- L’article défini: the definite article
- L’article indéfini: the indefinite article
- L’article partitif: the partitive article
In French, articles must agree with the noun in both gender and number. Sometimes they change form in front of a vowel. If you know the rules about French articles, you’re more likely to communicate accurately in the rest of the sentence as well. Following French gender rules in the rest of the sentence will be easier, as adjectives will also agree with that noun.
What is the difference between definite and indefinite articles?
Definite articles, like “the” in English, show that the noun has been defined, specified, or identified. If I say, “Please hand me the pencil,” I’m indicating that I want a very specific pencil rather than a pen or marker.
Indefinite articles, like “a” and “an” in English, introduce nouns that have not been identified or specified but are more open or general. If I say, “Please hand me a pencil,” I’m ok with receiving any available pencil.
Let’s consider another example with definite and indefinite French articles.
- J’ai vu le chien ! = I saw the dog!
- This implies that you saw a specific dog, perhaps one that you’ve already mentioned in a previous conversation. Your listener or reader will picture or remember which dog you mean.
- J’ai vu un chien ! = I saw a dog!
- This implies that you saw a dog, but your listener or reader doesn’t have any further frame of reference. It could be any dog.
Examples of definite and indefinite articles
A teacher could provide a checklist of school supplies for a French class so that students remember what to bring.
- le livre = the book
- un cahier = a notebook
- un crayon / un stylo = a pencil / a pen
- la dictionnaire = the dictionary
- ton ordinateur = your computer
- cinq feutres = five markers
In this list, you see the definite articles in French (le and la) where the teacher has specified that there is a particular book and a specific dictionary that the students should bring. By saying “the book” and “the dictionary,” the teacher assumes that the students know which ones.
In the case of pencil, pen, and notebook, the teacher has used the indefinite articles in French (un and une). By saying “a pencil / a pen,” the teacher communicates that it doesn’t matter what writing instruments the students bring.
With ordinateur (computer), neither the definite nor indefinite article is used, because the teacher specified ton ordinateur (your computer). The teacher wants students to bring the specific computer that belongs to them. Ton (your) is an example of a possessive adjective, which can replace an article.
When numbers are used, as in cinq feutres (five markers), no articles are needed. Numbers will replace an article since they’re specifying the quantity of the noun.
How to use the definite article in French
English has one definite article: the word “the.” Conversely, there are four definite articles in French, and they are used in specific situations.
| Definite Article in French | When To Use It |
| le | with masculine singular nouns |
| la | with feminine singular nouns |
| l’ | with singular nouns that begin with a vowel or silent “h” |
| les | with plural nouns |
There are a few important things to remember about definite articles in French.
- All four of these forms mean “the” in English.
- Le chat est indépendant.= The cat is independent.
- La robe est chère. = The dress is expensive.
- L’hôtel est près du métro. = The hotel is close to the metro.
- Les élèves sont sages. = The students are well-behaved.
- Both le and la change to l’ in front of a vowel or silent “h.”
- L’homme travaille au parc. = The man works at the park.
- Je cherche l’amie de ma voisine. = I’m picking up my neighbor’s (female) friend / the (female) friend of my neighbor.
- Both masculine and feminine nouns use les in the plural.
- Les femmes ont gagné cinq médailles d’or. = The women have won five gold medals.
- Les hommes vont jouer plus tard. = The men are going to play later.
How to use the indefinite article in French
English uses “a,” “an,” or even “some,” as indefinite articles. There are three indefinite articles in French as well, but they are used in situations specific to the French language.
| Indefinite French Article | When To Use It |
| un | with masculine singular nouns |
| une | with feminine singular nouns |
| des | with plural nouns that are countable |
There are a few important things to remember about indefinite articles in French.
- Both un and une can mean “a” or “an.” In English, “an” is used in front of words that start with vowels (apple and elephant), but in French, the difference in use depends on the gender of the noun.
- Elle a mangé une pomme et une poire. = She ate a pear and an apple.
- J’ai mangé un croissant et un abricot. = I ate a croissant and an apricot.
- Both un and une change to des in the plural.
- Donnez-moi un soda et une pizza, s’il vous plaît. = Give me a soda and a pizza, please.
- Donnez-nous des sodas et des pizzas, s’il vous plaît. = Give us some sodas and some pizzas, please.
- There are no spelling changes to un, une, or des in front of vowel sounds, but there are some correlations in pronunciation.
- Je voudrais un abricot. = I would like an apricot.
- Nous cherchons une école. = We are looking for a school.
- Il a vu des amis. = He saw some friends.
- All three indefinite articles (un, une, and des) become de in negative constructions.
- Je n’ai pas bu de soda. = I didn’t drink any soda.
- Je n’ai pas mangé de pizza. = I didn’t eat any pizza.
- De in a negative construction will turn to d’ in front of a vowel sound.
- Je n’ai pas mangé d’abricot. = I didn’t eat any apricots.
- The indefinite article also changes to de when there is an adjective before the noun.
- Il porte de beaux vêtements. = He wears beautiful clothes.
>> Discover which common French adjectives come before the noun.
What is the partitive article in French?
The French partitive article is a unique way that the language refers to a non-specific portion or quantity. It doesn’t always have a direct translation in English, but it can mean “some” or “any.” French uses the partitive to refer to an unspecified quantity of an uncountable noun. Some examples of uncountable nouns in U.S. English are flour, work, and air. They are nouns that you could divide infinitely, and could not count the pieces.
There are two parts to the partitive article. It begins with the word de and combines with the definite article (le, la, l’ or les), depending on the noun, making four possible partitive articles in French. De contracts with le to make du, and de contracts with les to make des.
| Partitive Article | When To Use It |
| du (de+le) | with masculine singular uncountable nouns |
| de la | with feminine singular uncountable nouns |
| de l’ | with singular uncountable nouns starting with a vowel or silent h. |
| Des (de+les) | With nouns that are always plural but uncountable |
How do you use the partitive article in French?
There are some important considerations for the partitive article.
- The partitive article is used with uncountable nouns.
- du riz = some rice
- de la viande = some meat
- de l’eau = some water
- des pâtes = some pasta
- You can substitute a specific quantity expression for the partitive article. Expressions of quantity will be followed by de or d’ in front of a vowel or silent “h.”
- un kilo de riz = a kilo of rice
- un peu de viande = a little bit of meat
- une bouteille d’eau = a bottle of water
- beaucoup de pâtes = a lot of pasta
- The plural indefinite article and the plural partitive article are both des.
- des pizzas = some pizzas. This is indefinite since “pizzas” could be singular.
- des pâtes = some pasta. This is partitive since pasta is naturally plural. (The singular pâte refers to dough or batter, which is uncountable.)
- In the negative, the partitive article behaves like the indefinite article and changes to de.
- Je n’ai pas mangé de fromage. = I didn’t eat any cheese.
- Je ne veux pas de riz. = I don’t want any rice.
- Tu n’as pas bu d’eau ? = You didn’t drink any water?
When is the use of articles in French different from English?
The definite article is used more often than in English. Many English nouns don’t use articles at all. In French, you’ll see it in used in situations like these:
- abstract nouns:
- La liberté est un droit reconnu par la loi. = Liberty is a right recognized by law.
- academic subjects:
- J’étudie la chimie. = I study chemistry.
- countries:
- Ma grand-mère est née dans le nord de l’Italie. = My grandmother was born in the North of Italy.
- date:
- C’est le 20 mai.= It’s May 20.
- days (indicating “every” or “on” certain days):
- Le mercredi on regarde un film. = On Wednesdays we watch a movie.
- geographic features:
- L’Amérique du Sud est un continent. = South America is a continent.
- languages:
- Je vais étudier l’allemand et l’espagnol cette année. = I am going to study German and Spanish this year.
- parts of the body:
- J’ai mal à la gorge. = My throat hurts.
- titles when talking about someone:
- Le docteur Simon est très intelligent. = Doctor Simon is very intelligent.
You’ll omit the indefinite article with professions and religion, unless used with an adjective.
- Elle est réalisatrice = She is a director.
- Elle est une réalisatrice créative. = She is a creative director.
- Il est chrétien. = He is a Christian.
The partitive article cannot be omitted in French but leaving out the word “some” would be acceptable in English.
- Je veux du riz. = I want (some) rice.
- Tu veux du fromage ? = Do you want (some) cheese?
Easily master using articles in French with Rosetta Stone
Such small words like articles could be easy to overlook in a busy sentence, but they carry quite a bit of important information. Knowing whether your noun is general or specific, singular or plural, and whole or only a part, can help you understand specifics and speak French with confidence.
An essential part of mastering French articles is to speak the language with other people. Rosetta Stone’s tutors can give you a perfect opportunity to put these words into practice and build your confidence as you take the next step in language proficiency.
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