Language/French/Grammar/Indefinite-article

Indefinite article in French

French Articles

French has 3 kinds of articles:

1. Definite articles
2. Indefinite articles
3. Partitive articles

The table below summarizes the different forms:

French Articles
	Definite article	Indefinite article	Partitive
masculine	le	un	du
feminine	la	une	de la
in front of a vowel	l'	un/une	de l'
plural	les	des	des

Indefinite Article : Rule & Examples

In French, nouns are almost always preceded by an article or a determiner. This indicates the gender of the noun (masculine or feminine) and its number (singular or plural).

We use the indefinite articles (articles indéfinis) in the following cases:

To talk about something non-specific:

• Céline est une copine de Noémie. (one of many)

Céline is a friend of Noémie. (one of many)

To mention something for the first time in a text:

• Jean a acheté une moto.

Jean bought a motorbike.

In can be translated by “a” or “an” in English.

Video - French Indefinite Article / How to say “a” or “an” in French

Learn how to say “a” or “an” in French

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• Similar lessons : Definite article & Indefinite article
• More on this subject: Typical use of the indefinite article