Article définiThe French definite article indicates either a particular noun or, contrarily, the general sense of a noun. Show Par exemple…
Characteristics of definite articles
French definite articles
+ There are three singular definite articles:
+ There is only one plural definite article: les. When preceded by the prepositions à and de, the definite articles le and les must contract with them:
Using definite articlesFrench definite articles are used similarly to their English counterpart, "the," to talk about specific, identified nouns. Par exemple…
However, there are many instances where a definite article is required in French but not English. 1) Multiple nounsWhen there’s more than one noun, French requires a definite article in front of each one.
2) General senseDefinite articles are used to talk about a noun or group of nouns in a general sense:
3) Topics and IssuesAbstractions, politics, school subjects, languages* – all need a definite article in French:
* Except after parler, when the definite article is optional: Je parle grec / Je parle le grec. 4) PerThe definite article is equivalent to "per" when talking about price per quantity.
5) CountriesWhen talking about most countries and continents without a preposition, a definite article is required for all but a few (lesson coming soon).
6) SuperlativesIn superlatives with adjectives that follow the noun, French requires a second definite article:
7) PossessionSeveral possessive constructions require the definite article in French. a) Possessive de
b) Posssessive pronouns
c) Parts of the body
8) Time and DateSome references to time and date need a definite article. a) Specific dates
b) Vague periods of time
c) Habitual actions with days of the week and times of day
However, one-time actions with days of the week or times of day do not take a definite article.
9) Talking to/about peoplea) Addressing a group
b) Talking to/about a person using a title but no name
c) Talking about a person using a title and name
* When addressing a person using a title and name, there’s no article:
10) EuphonyIn front of on and un, a meaningless l’ is often added for euphony.
Related lessons
En español
In italiano
Share / Tweet / Pin Me! How do you know when to use LE or la?Unlike English, all nouns (words for things) in French are masculine or feminine.. Use le with masculine nouns.. Use la with feminine nouns.. Use l' with words of either gender that begin with a vowel or the letter h.. How do you know if a French word is feminine or masculine?How do you know when to use masculine vs feminine words? The best place to start when trying to figure out the gender of a French word is by looking at the ending of the word. Words that use the articles le or un are going to be masculine, and words that use the articles la or une are feminine.
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How do you know if its LA or LE?
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