Articles - what are they?
Articles are used in languages to indicate a noun - eg the, a or some.
Definite articles - how to say ‘the’ using le, la, l’ or les
The correct word for the in French depends upon the noun it follows. All nouns in French are either masculine, feminine or plural.
The articles le, la, l' and les mean 'the' and they have to agree with the gender of the noun.
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Bef. vowel or -h | Plural |
| the | le | la | l' | les |
| English | the |
|---|---|
| Masculine | le |
| Feminine | la |
| Bef. vowel or -h | l' |
| Plural | les |
These are called definite articles because you are talking about a specific thing or things:
- le livre - the book
- la table - the table
- les baskets - the trainers
- le livre est sur la table - the book is on the table
- j’adore les baskets noires - I love black trainers!
Le/la/l’ or les - more examples
In the singular form (referring to one thing or person), use the articles:
| Singular masculine | Singular feminine | Before a vowel or -h |
| le fromage | la ville | l’adresse/l'hôpital |
| the cheese | the town | the address/the hospital |
| Singular masculine | le fromage |
|---|---|
| Singular feminine | la ville |
| Before a vowel or -h | l’adresse/l'hôpital |
| Singular masculine | the cheese |
|---|---|
| Singular feminine | the town |
| Before a vowel or -h | the address/the hospital |
For plurals use les for all words and remember to make your noun plural too.
| Plural masculine | Plural feminine |
| les fromages - the cheeses | les villes - the towns |
| Plural masculine | les fromages - the cheeses |
|---|---|
| Plural feminine | les villes - the towns |
Examples:
- le fromage, c’est bon ! - the cheese is good!
- la ville s’appelle Mimizan - the town is called Mimizan
- l'hôpital est en banlieue de la ville - the hospital is on the outskirts of the town
- les adresses ne sont pas correctes - the addresses are incorrect
Le/la/l’or les – other uses
In French you can use articles in a number of ways that we don't use in English - in English, we would omit them.
For example, with parts of the body:
- j’ai les yeux bleus et les cheveux noirs – I have blue eyes and black hair
- il se brosse les dents – he brushes his teeth
With school subjects:
- j’étudie les maths, l’anglais, la chimie - I study Maths, English, Chemistry
When expressing general likes and dislikes:
- j’aime beaucoup les fraises – I like strawberries a lot
- les serpents me font peur – snakes frighten me
- tu aimes la musique ? – do you like music?
