Language/French/Grammar/Omission-of-the-article-with-nouns-following-the-verbs-être,-demeurer,-devenir,-élire,-nommer,-rester

French Grammar - Omission of the article with nouns following the verbs être, demeurer, devenir, élire, nommer, rester

When a noun alone follows the verbs être 'be', demeurer 'stay', devenir 'become', élire 'elect', nommer 'appoint', rester 'stay', the article is omitted:

• Sa mère est ingénieur

Her mother is an engineer

• Il est devenu architecte très tôt

He became an architect early on

• Elle est restée maire de la commune

She remained mayor of the village

• On l'a élu président

He was elected president

• Pierre a été nommé Directeur des Achats

Pierre was appointed Purchasing Director

But when the noun is modified, for example by an adjective, the article is not omitted:

• Depuis, il est devenu un architecte innovateur

Since then, he has become an innovatory architect

• Pierre a été nommé le premier Directeur des Achats

Pierre was appointed as the first Purchasing Director

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Stressed pronouns standing alone & de when an adjective precedes the noun.

Other Lessons

• Stressed pronouns with même, aussi, seul, autres, tous and numerals
• Compound Tenses
• Types of adverbs
• Easy future
• Past participles used as adjectives with the verb "être"
• The plural indefinite article des
• Differences in the use of numbers in French and English once twice
• Meaning of tout à l'heure
• Nouns
• encore VS toujours
• Omission of the article in noun constructions linked by de
• Subject verb agreement when subject quantifiers are present
• Double object constructions with no preposition
• Time adverbs
• Adverbs ending in —ment derived from words no longer in the language