Definite articles: le, la, l', les
Can use definite articles to refer to specific things and general concepts
Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?
Le chat dort sur la table.
The cat is sleeping on the table.
J'aime les fleurs et l'art.
I love flowers and art.
Je vais au cinéma et aux magasins.
I'm going to the cinema and to the shops.
Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?
Les articles définis s'utilisent pour parler de quelque chose de spécifique ou déjà connu :
| Genre | Singulier | Pluriel |
|---|---|---|
| Masculin | le garçon | les garçons / filles |
| Féminin | la fille | |
| Devant voyelle/h muet | l'ami / l'école | les amis |
Emplois principaux :
Contraction : à + le = au, à + les = aux, de + le = du, de + les = des.
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises
Practice ExercisesUsed wrong gender article (le instead of la or vice versa)
Learn nouns with their article. Common patterns: -tion/-sion = feminine, -ment/-age = masculine.
Omitted a required definite article
French requires articles much more than English. General statements need le/la/les (J'aime LE chocolat).
Failed to contract à+le→au or de+le→du
Contractions with le/les are mandatory: à+le=au, à+les=aux, de+le=du, de+les=des.
Le chat dort sur la table.
The cat is sleeping on the table.
Le (masculine) for chat, la (feminine) for table. Both are specific items.
J'aime les fleurs et l'art.
I love flowers and art.
Les (plural) for fleurs. L' (elided) before art (vowel). In French, general statements use definite articles.
Je vais au cinéma et aux magasins.
I'm going to the cinema and to the shops.
Au = à + le (contraction). Aux = à + les (contraction). These are mandatory.
Practice in course
Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises