How to say 'a' in French - How to say 'the' in French

How do you say 'a' in French? What about 'the' in French? You’ll learn this essential French in today’s online lesson, and I’ve included some examples with audio as well.

This is where I’ll introduce you to French articles – and I don’t mean the reading kind! If you’ve never heard of definite articles in French, or indefinite 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.

Articles are the little words that make language really clear: “The,” “A,” “Some,” “Several,” “Of,” “Of the,” and “Any.”

As you work through this lesson, you will inevitably come across new words and new expressions. You may feel that you’re having to deal with a lot of new material and unpredictable rules. Not all of it will make sense at first!

But if we dissect the rules too much, you will find yourself caught up by the technical side of the language. Rather, allow yourself the benefit of enjoying the experience even when you have questions left un-answered... for the time being! You will see that by the time you reach the end of this Lesson, the exercises and activities will clarify and reinforce your progress.

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.

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.

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. 

The previous section referred to making things specific using “ the” in French, in the form of “ Le,” “ La,” “ Les” and “ L’.” In this section, we talk about the ways to make things general, or indefinite. In French, there are 3 ways of using the indefinite articles “ a,” “ an,” “ some” or “ several.”

"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:

Á plus tard! (See you later!)

Marie-Claire Rivière and the Rocket French Team