FlexiLingoIn one line
A French noun almost never stands bare. One of these seven words sits in front of it.
The table
| masculine | feminine | plural | what it says | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| definite | le /lə/ | la /la/ | les /le/ | the — we both know which one |
| indefinite | un /œ̃/ | une /yn/ | des /de/ | a · some — we do not know which yet |
| partitive | du /dy/ | de la /də la/ | des /de/ | some of — a thing you cannot count |
Before a vowel, le and la both become l': l'examen · l'eau. The partitive becomes de l'.
Which one, when
| What you mean | Article | Example |
|---|---|---|
| that specific thing | le /lə/ la /la/ les /le/ | Je lis le livre. /ʒə li lə livʁ/ the book |
| the thing in general | le /lə/ la /la/ les /le/ | J'aime la musique. /ʒɛm la my.zik/ I like music |
| one of several | un /œ̃/ une /yn/ des /de/ | Je lis un livre. /ʒə li œ̃ livʁ/ a book |
| some of something | du /dy/ de la /də la/ | Je mange du pain. /ʒə mɑ̃ʒ dy pɛ̃/ I'm eating bread |
Where English leaves you unprepared: English says "I eat the bread" and "I eat a loaf", so
leandunfeel familiar. But for the third one it says "I eat bread" — nothing at all. French has no such option: it must saydu pain, "some bread". The article you never had to think about in English is the one you now have to choose.
Exceptions
| Exception | What happens |
|---|---|
After être /ɛtʁ/, a job or nationality goes bare | Je suis étudiant. /ʒə sɥi.z‿e.ty.djɑ̃/ not un étudiant /œ̃.n‿e.ty.djɑ̃/Je suis un bon étudiant. /ʒə sɥi.z‿œ̃ bɔ̃.n‿e.ty.djɑ̃/ |
| In a negative sentence | un /œ̃//une /yn//des /de//du /dy//de la /də la/ all become de /də/: Je ne mange pas de pain. /ʒə nə mɑ̃ʒ pa də pɛ̃/ |
| After a stated quantity | the article drops: beaucoup de livres /bo.ku də livʁ/ un kilo de pommes /œ̃ ki.lo də pɔm/ |
After aimer /ɛ.me//adorer /a.do.ʁe//détester /de.tɛs.te/ | definite, never partitive: J'aime le pain. /ʒɛm lə pɛ̃/ not du pain /dy pɛ̃/ |
| …unless an infinitive comes between | then the second verb chooses the article: J'aime manger du pain. /ʒɛm mɑ̃.ʒe dy pɛ̃/ J'aime écouter de la musique. /ʒɛm e.ku.te də la my.zik/ → exprimer-gouts /ɛks.pʁi.me.ɡu/ |
…and unless aimer /ɛ.me/ is conditional | there it means "I'd like" and takes the partitive: J'aimerais du café. /ʒɛm.ʁɛ dy ka.fe/ |
| Countries carry an article | la France /la fʁɑ̃s/ le Canada /lə ka.na.da/ — but cities do not: Paris /pa.ʁi/ |
de /də/ + le /lə/ → du /dy/ | and de /də/ + les /le/ → des /de/. So des /de/ is sometimes indefinite and sometimes a fusion |
Examples
| English | French | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| I'm reading the book | Je lis le livre. | /ʒə li lə livʁ/ |
| I'm reading a book | Je lis un livre. | /ʒə li œ̃ livʁ/ |
| I like music | J'aime la musique. | /ʒɛm la my.zik/ |
| I like listening to music | J'aime écouter de la musique. | /ʒɛm e.ku.te də la my.zik/ |
| I'm eating bread | Je mange du pain. | /ʒə mɑ̃ʒ dy pɛ̃/ |
| I'm drinking water | Je bois de l'eau. | /ʒə bwa də lo/ |
| I'm a student | Je suis étudiant. | /ʒə sɥi.z‿e.ty.djɑ̃/ |
| I'm a good student | Je suis un bon étudiant. | /ʒə sɥi.z‿œ̃ bɔ̃.n‿e.ty.djɑ̃/ |
| I'm not eating bread | Je ne mange pas de pain. | /ʒə nə mɑ̃ʒ pa də pɛ̃/ |
Common mistakes
| ❌ | ✅ | Why |
|---|---|---|
Je suis un étudiant. | Je suis étudiant. | English says "a student"; after être French goes bare |
Je mange pain. | Je mange du pain. | A noun does not stand bare |
J'aime du pain. | J'aime le pain. | With aimer it is the whole thing, not a portion |
J'aime manger le pain. | J'aime manger du pain. | With an infinitive between, manger decides, not aimer |
Je ne mange pas du pain. | Je ne mange pas de pain. | The partitive collapses under a negative |
le eau | l'eau | It elides before a vowel |
beaucoup des livres | beaucoup de livres | After a quantity the article drops |
des leads two lives
and, like `du`, you do not have to tell them apart
| Example | What it is | Pronunciation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite plural | Je lis des livres. | some books | /ʒə li de livʁ/ |
de + les | Je parle des livres. | about those books | /ʒə paʁl de livʁ/ |
Both are written des. The difference exists only in the analysis.
One place it does matter: under a negative the indefinite des becomes de, and the fused one does not:
| Pronunciation | ||
|---|---|---|
Je ne lis pas de livres. | indefinite — collapsed | /ʒə nə li pa də livʁ/ |
Je ne parle pas des livres. | fusion — untouched | /ʒə nə paʁl pa de livʁ/ |