Definite articles: le, la, l', les

A1 — Articles

Definite articles: le, la, l', les

Can use definite articles to refer to specific things and general concepts

Examples

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.

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Definite articles: le, la, l', les

Learning Goal

Can use definite articles to refer to specific things and general concepts

Exam Skills:WritingSpeaking

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?

French has four forms where English has one "the". The article has to match the noun's gender and number, so le, la, l' and les carry information that English leaves out.

	Singular	Plural
Masculine	le garçon - the boy	les garçons, les filles
Feminine	la fille - the girl	les garçons, les filles
Before a vowel or mute h	l'ami, l'école	les amis (with a z sound: [le.za.mi])

In the plural the gender difference disappears: les serves for both. In speech le and les differ only in the vowel ([lə] vs [le]), and that vowel is often your only clue to whether a noun is singular or plural, because the plural -s on the noun is silent.

Where French uses "the" and English does not

This is where English speakers slip. French puts the definite article before nouns used in a general sense, which English leaves bare:

General statements: Les chats sont indépendants. - Cats are independent.
Likes and dislikes: J'adore le fromage. - I love cheese. Elle déteste la pluie. - She hates rain.
Countries and regions: la France, le Japon, la Bretagne. J'aime la France.
Languages and school subjects: Le français est difficile.
Days for a habit: le dimanche - on Sundays.

Saying *J'aime fromage is a typical English-speaker mistake: the noun needs its article.

Contractions with à and de

À and de fuse with le and les: à + le = au, à + les = aux, de + le = du, de + les = des. La and l' do not contract: à la gare, à l'hôtel. So you go au marché, aux Halles, but à la boulangerie.

Apply this grammar in A1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

Forgetting to use articles (French almost always requires one) and confusing gender. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses 'the' for all genders and numbers. French requires choosing le/la/les based on gender. English speakers also omit articles where French requires them (e.g., J'aime *le* chocolat).

Common Error Patterns

Used 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.

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Frequently asked questions

When do you use Definite articles: le, la, l', les?: French has four forms where English has one "the". The article has to match the noun's gender and number, so le , la , l' and les carry information that English leaves out.
How do you form Definite articles: le, la, l', les?: In the plural the gender difference disappears: les serves for both. In speech le and les differ only in the vowel ([lə] vs [le]), and that vowel is often your only clue to whether a noun is singular or plural, because the plural -s on the noun is silent. This is where English speakers slip. French puts the definite article before nouns used in a general sense, which English leaves bare: Saying *J'aime fromage is a typical English-speaker mistake: the noun needs its article. À and de fuse with le and les : à + le = au , à + les = aux , de + le = du , de + les = des . La and l' do not contract: à la gare , à l'hôtel . So you go au marché , aux Halles , but à la boulangerie .
What are common mistakes with Definite articles: le, la, l', les?: Forgetting to use articles (French almost always requires one) and confusing gender. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses 'the' for all genders and numbers. French requires choosing le/la/les based on gender. English speakers also omit articles where French requires them (e.g., J'aime *le* chocolat).

Singular

Plural

Masculine

le garçon - the boy

les garçons, les filles

Feminine

la fille - the girl

Before a vowel or mute h

l'ami, l'école

les amis (with a z sound: [le.za.mi])

Frequently asked questions

When do you use Definite articles: le, la, l', les?

French has four forms where English has one "the". The article has to match the noun's gender and number, so le , la , l' and les carry information that English leaves out.

How do you form Definite articles: le, la, l', les?

In the plural the gender difference disappears: les serves for both. In speech le and les differ only in the vowel ([lə] vs [le]), and that vowel is often your only clue to whether a noun is singular or plural, because the plural -s on the noun is silent. This is where English speakers slip. French puts the definite article before nouns used in a general sense, which English leaves bare: Saying *J'aime fromage is a typical English-speaker mistake: the noun needs its article. À and de fuse with le and les : à + le = au , à + les = aux , de + le = du , de + les = des . La and l' do not contract: à la gare , à l'hôtel . So you go au marché , aux Halles , but à la boulangerie .

What are common mistakes with Definite articles: le, la, l', les?

Forgetting to use articles (French almost always requires one) and confusing gender. 🇬🇧 English speakers: English uses 'the' for all genders and numbers. French requires choosing le/la/les based on gender. English speakers also omit articles where French requires them (e.g., J'aime *le* chocolat).