Language/French/Grammar/Déterminants

Definite and Indefinite Articles

Articles définis

They are used when we known the subject they refer to.

Le

It is used to refer to a known male subject.

Examples:

• Le chien est gris (= the dog is grey).

• Le chat mange une souris (= the cat is eating a mouse).

• J'ai vu le voisin ce matin (= i saw the neighbor this morning).

La

It is used to refer to a known female subject.

Examples:

• La tortue de Jean (= Jean's tortle)

• J'ai vu la voisine ce matin (= i saw the neighbor this morning).

L'

It's a diminutive for "le" or "la".

Examples:

• L'histoire est fausse (= the storie is false).

• L'ananas est cultivé dans le sud (= pineapple is grown in the south).

• L'animal est sauvage (= the beast/ animal is wild)

Les

It is used to refer to known plurials (males and/ or females) subjects.

Examples:

• Les chevaux sont beaux (= horses are beautiful).

• Les frites sont faites avec des patates (= fries are make with potatoes).

Articles indéfinis

They are used when we don't know the subject they refer to.

Un

It is used to refer to an unknown male subject.

Examples:

• Un homme étrange (= a weird man).

• Un fruit sucré (= a sweet fruit).

Une

It is used to refer to an unknown female subject.

Examples:

• Une vieille horloge (= an old clock).

• J'ai une bonne idée (= i have a good idea).

Des

It is used to refer to unknown plurials (males and/ or females) subjects.

Examples:

• Des feuilles jaunes tombent des arbres (= yellow leaves are falling from the trees).

• Des amis m'ont appelé (= friends called me).

Other Lessons

• Adverbs
• Weather verbs
• Abstract versus concrete nouns
• Typical use of the indefinite article
• Difference between meilleur and mieux
• Measurements and comparisons in French — Numeral nouns and approximations
• Easy way of generating the imperfect tense
• How to use « il y a » in French
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English Dates
• Omission of the article in participle + noun constructions linked by de