Grammar: Articles

Section 1: Definite Articles

In French, the definite articles are le, la and les.
Le is used before masculine singular nouns, la before feminine singular nouns.
Use les before both masculine and feminine plural nouns.
Unlike English, French uses definite articles even in general statements about a noun (‘I love books’ becomes ‘J’aime les livres’).
There can be contractions when definite articles are used before vowels or silent ‘h’, for instance l’ami (the friend).

Section 2: Indefinite Articles

The indefinite articles in French are un, une and des.
Un is used before masculine singular nouns, une before feminine singular nouns.
Use des before both masculine and feminine plural nouns.

Use des before both masculine and feminine plural nouns.