How do you say the in French? You’ll learn the essential French articles la, le, l' and les in today’s online lesson, and I’ve included some examples with audio as well.
This is where I’ll introduce you to definite French articles – and I don’t mean the reading kind! If you’ve never heard of definite articles in French, don’t panic!
I’ve provided step-by-step explanations so you’ll understand these basic rules of French grammar in no time.
Resources for further reading:
- How long does it take to learn French?
- French for beginners
Making things really clear with articles
Articles are the little words that make language really clear: “The,” “A,” “Some,” “Several,” “Of,” “Of the,” and “Any.”
Define it...
In English the word “the” is what we call a definite article. That is because the word “the” points to a very specific thing. For example, you may tell someone, “I want the mug” assuming that they will bring you the mug you have in mind.
Or not!
If you tell them, “I want a mug,” you will get whichever mug they choose to hand you! That is because the words “a” or “an” or “some” are indefinite articles and point to a general group of items, things, people or places.
Using the in French
In French, the short defining word before the noun is really part of the noun. For instance, “le musicien” and “la musicienne” for 'the musician.'
In French, “the” is not just one word. Rather there are a total of 4 versions of “the,” depending on the gender and quantity of the noun to which you are referring.
The French word for “the,”
- if followed by a masculine noun, is “Le”
- if followed by a feminine noun, it is “La” and,
- when followed by any noun in the plural, it is “Les”
For example, if there is one (male) cat, we say “Le chat.” If there are two or more cats, we say “Les chats.”
If there is one woman, we say “La femme.” If there are two or more women, we say “Les femmes.”
Any singular noun beginning with a vowel or an “h” is always preceded by an apostrophe after the definite article: “L’"- for example, “L’homme,” “L’hiver,” “ L’escalier.”
The apostrophe is inserted in between the article and the noun. This is because two vowel sounds in French cannot follow from one word to another.
In summary:
- The + masculine noun = le
- The + feminine noun = la
- The + any noun beginning with a vowel = l’
- The + any plural noun = les
Practice Your Pronunciation With Rocket Record
Rocket Record lets you perfect your French pronunciation. Just listen to the native speaker audio and then use the microphone icon to record yourself. Once you’re done, you’ll get a score out of 100 on your pronunciation and can listen to your own audio playback. (Use a headset mic for best results.) Problems? Click here!
Le garçon
The boy
Les garçons
The boys
La fille
The girl
Les filles
The girls
L'invité
The guest (male)
Les invités
The guests
L'enfant
The child
Les enfants
The children
Les livres
The books
La pomme
The apple
Les pommes
The apples
La librairie
The bookstore
Les librairies
The bookstores
Le jeu
The game
Les jeux
The games
L'hôtel
The hotel
Les hôtels
The hotels
When Indefinite and Definite Work Together in French
"Some" and "several" in French are interchangeable with "any" and "of the." We refer to words like "some" and "several" as articles. These articles help to define words and quantities, and just like everything else in French, they have to follow gender rules.
This means that almost everything new you learn in French will be subject to the following questions:
- Is it a female group of words?
- Is it a male group of words?
- Is it singular or plural?
- Does it begin with a vowel?
For more on indefinite articles see A in French
Then try some more French grammar lessons!
- French in French
- Of in French
- You in French
Á plus tard! (See you later!)
Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team
Make It Stick With Rocket Reinforcement
Reinforce your learning from this lesson with the Rocket Reinforcement activities! These activities are scientifically designed to improve your knowledge and retention of French.