I Like (the) Cheese: Using French Articles

In this post we’ll look into using French articles. One of the first big surprises for English speakers learning French is that French uses articles much more often than English does. In English, we often say cheese, cats, bread, or coffee with no article at all. In French, nouns usually need a little word in front of them, typically some kind of article.

That means that using French articles correctly comes down to learning definite articles (le, la, les), indefinite articles (un, une), and partitive articles (du, de la, des).

Using French Articles: Definites le, la, l’, les

The French definite articles usually mean the in English, and in many cases, the uses is pretty much the same.

• le = the (masculine singular)
• la = the (feminine singular)
• l’ = the (before vowel sound)
• les = the (plural)

For example, these phrases would be used to talk about a specific book, house, hotel, or children that are known in conversation.

• le livre – the book
• la maison – the house
• l’hôtel – the hotel
• les enfants – the children

French Uses “The” More Than English

One of the biggest differences is that French often uses definite articles for general ideas, where English uses no article.

Likes and Preferences

With verbs like aimer (to like), adorer (to love), préférer (to prefer), detester (to hate), French uses le / la / les where English uses nothing.

• J’aime le fromage.
  I like cheese.
• Tu aimes les chats ?
  Do you like cats?
• Elle adore le chocolat.
  She loves chocolate.

General Categories

In English, the cheese sounds specific. In French, le fromage can mean cheese in general. So, when you’re talking about a category in general, you use the definite articles in French.

• Le fromage français est très bon.
  French cheese is very good.
• La musique me détend.
  Music relaxes me.
• Les chiens sont fidèles.
  Dogs are faithful.

No Naked Nouns

English allows nouns alone: I like coffee. Cats are funny. Bread is expensive. But French does not usually allow naked nouns, so you almost always need a definite article, a partitive (we’ll come back to that), a possessive, or something similar. Again, if you’re talking about general categories, just use le, le, or les.

• J’aime le café.
  I like coffee.
• Les chats sont drôles.
  Cats are funny.
• Le pain est cher.
  Bread is expensive.

Using French Articles: Indefinite un, une, des

The French definite articles un and une usually mean a or an. In the plural, des is used.

• un = a / an (masculine)
• une = a / an (feminine)
• des = some / plural indefinite

So these phrases refer to non-specific nouns, or nouns that are being introduced for the first time in conversation, much like English a or an.

• un livre – a book
• une voiture – a car
• des pommes – some apples

Use un or une when talking about one (non-specified) item. Use des when talking about a non-specific plural number of countable items.

• J’ai un frère.
  I have a brother.
• Elle achète une robe.
  She is buying a dress.
• Nous avons des amis à Paris.
  We have (some) friends in Paris.

Using French Articles: Partitive du, de la, de l’, des

The French articles du, de la, de l’, and des often mean some or refer to an unspecified amount of something.

• du = some (masculine)
• de la = some (feminine)
• de l’ = some (before vowel sound)
• des = some (plural)

In the singular, that can be a non-countable noun, like eau (water) or sucre (sugar). In the plural, this usually means an unspecified number of something countable.

• du pain – some bread
• de la soupe – some soup
• de l’eau – some water
• des légumes – some vegetables

Use French partitive articles for food, drink, substances, things you don’t count individually, or non-specific numbers of countable things.

• Je mange du pain.
  I’m eating some bread.
• Elle boit de l’eau.
  She is drinking some water.
• Nous achetons des fraises.
  We are buying some strawberries.

English Bare, French Partitive

Keep the “no naked nouns” rule in mind. In English, it’s perfectly acceptable to express these ideas with some (eating some bread) or with a bare noun (eating bread). In French, you can’t have a bare noun, so you’ll always use a partitive here.

• Elle mange du poulet.
  She’s eating chicken.
• Je fais de la soupe.
  I’m making soup.
• Vous avez des enfants ?
  Do you have kids?
• Je bois du café.
  I drink coffee.
• Elle mange du riz.
  She eats rice.
• Nous avons besoin d’eau.
  We need water.

Using French Articles in the Negative

After negation, un, une, du / de la / des usually become de / d’.

• Je bois du café. Je ne bois pas de café.
  I drink coffee. I don’t drink coffee.
• Elle mange des pommes. Elle ne mange pas de pommes.
  She eats apples. She doesn’t eat apples.
• Elle a un frère. Elle n’a pas de frère.
  She has a brother. She doesn’t have a brother.
• Nous avons de l’argent. Nous n’avons pas d’argent.
  We have money. We don’t have money.
  

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