Nouns
Nouns in French Grammar
French Nouns Basics
- Le substantif (the noun) is a word that, in general, designates a person, thing, or concept.
- Nouns in French are either masculine or feminine – this is known as gender. The gender of some nouns doesn’t follow a logical pattern and must be learnt individually.
- Every noun has a plural form, which normally takes on a final “s”. However, there are several exceptions that should also be learnt.
Definite and Indefinite Articles
- A noun is usually accompanied by an article, which could be either definite (le, la, les) or indefinite (un, une, des).
- Definite articles are used when talking about specific items or in a general sense, comparable to ‘the’ in English.
- Indefinite articles refer to any one of a type of item and are equivalent to ‘a’, ‘an’, or ‘some’ in English.
Partitive Articles
- Partitive articles (du, de la, des) are used when referring to an unknown quantity of something.
- Partitive articles can portray the idea of ‘some’ or ‘any’ in English.
Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives
- Possessive adjectives (mon, ton, son, etc.) are similar to ‘my’, ‘your’, ‘his/her’ in English and agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify.
- Demonstrative adjectives (ce, cet, cette, ces) point out a particular noun and the correct form must be chosen according to the gender and number, and occasionally the first letter of the noun (as with ‘cet’).
Plural of Nouns
- Generally, the plural form of French nouns is made by adding an ’s’ to the singular form of the noun.
- However, there are exceptions and irregular forms, notably those ending in -au, -eu, -eau, -al, and –s, -z, -x in the singular, which must be learnt.
- In general, French does not pronounce the final ‘s’ in a plural noun.
Contracted Articles
- Note that some words contract with the definite article in French: au (à + le), aux (à + les), du (de + le), des (de + les).
Remember, practice is essential in mastering French nouns. Regularly reviewing and applying these rules will assist in becoming comfortable with using French nouns correctly.