The definite article
Le, la, 濒鈥 and les all mean 鈥榯he鈥. Knowing which one to use depends on the gender of the nounThe name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words., whether it starts with a vowel or a silent h-, and whether it is singularRefers to only one object or person. or pluralMore than one of an item..
masculine | feminine | starting with a vowel/ silent h | plural |
le | la | 濒鈥 | les |
masculine |
feminine |
starting with a vowel/ silent h |
plural |
le |
la |
濒鈥 |
les |
A definite articleMeans 'the'. Definite articles change depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. is needed in French for expressions of liking, disliking and preferring. For example:
- J鈥檃ime les fraises. 鈥 I like strawberries.
- Je pr茅f猫re le chocolat. 鈥 I prefer chocolate.
- Je n鈥檃ime pas les maths. 鈥 I don鈥檛 like maths.
When to use the definite article
Use the definite article when the noun is the first word or idea in the sentence in English or to express a generality. For example:
- Les chats dorment beaucoup. 鈥 Cats sleep a lot.
- Je pense que mes profs sont intelligents. 鈥 I think my teachers are intelligent.
Use the definite article with school subjects. For example:
- J鈥櫭﹖udie 濒鈥檃nglais. 鈥 I study English.
- Ma mati猫re pr茅f茅r茅e, c鈥檈st 濒鈥檋istoire. 鈥 My favourite subject is history.
Use the definite article with countries. For example:
- L鈥橢spagne est un pays chaud. 鈥 Spain is a hot country.
- J鈥檃ime les 脡tats-Unis. 鈥 I like the United States.
Use the definite article with parts of the body. For example:
- J鈥檃i les yeux bleus. 鈥 I have blue eyes.
- Ma m猫re a les cheveux noirs. 鈥 My mum has black hair.
Use the definite article in time phrases. For example:
- le weekend dernier 鈥 last weekend
- le lundi 鈥 on Mondays/every Monday
There is no definite articleMeans 'the'. Definite articles change depending on whether the noun it goes with is masculine, feminine, singular or plural. after expressions of quantity such as beaucoup de (a lot of), trop de (too much), plus de (more).
There is no definite article after negative expressions such as ne 鈥 pas de, ne 鈥 plus de, ne 鈥 jamais de. For example:
- Il y avait beaucoup d鈥檈nfants dans 濒鈥櫭ヽole. 鈥 There were a lot of children in the school.
- Le prof nous donne trop de devoirs. 鈥 The teacher gives us too much homework.
- Je voudrais un peu plus de chocolat, s鈥檌l vous plait. 鈥 I would like a bit more chocolate, please.
- Je n鈥檃i pas de chien. 鈥 I don鈥檛 have a dog.
- Il n鈥檡 a jamais d鈥檃rgent dans mon portefeuille. 鈥 There is never any money in my wallet.