Definite articles – le, la, l', les
'The' agrees with the noun
The definite article is the French word for the. It changes to match the noun's gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural).
The forms
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine | le livre | les livres |
| feminine | la table | les tables |
| before a vowel or mute h | l'arbre, l'école | les arbres, les écoles |
- le garçonthe boy
- la fillethe girl
- l'hommethe man
- les enfantsthe children
In the plural, les is the same for both genders. Before a vowel, the s of les is pronounced as a z: les‿amis.
Learn every noun with its article
There's no reliable way to guess a noun's gender, so learn la maison, not just maison. That's why vocabulary in this app always shows the article (and marks gender when the article is l').
Where French uses "the" and English doesn't
French uses the definite article for things in general and with verbs of liking (aimer, adorer, préférer, détester):
- J'aime le fromage.I like cheese.
- Les chats sont mignons.Cats are cute.
- La vie est belle.Life is beautiful.
- Je déteste le sport.I hate sport.
It's also used with languages, countries and days meaning "every": le français, la France, le lundi (on Mondays).
For a/an/some, see Indefinite articles and Partitive articles.
Practice
- _____ soleilOptions: le · la · l'
Show the answer
le
- _____ luneOptions: la · le · l'
Show the answer
la
- _____ hôtelOptions: l' · le · la
Show the answer
l' — Hôtel starts with a mute h.
- _____ enfantsOptions: les · le · l'
Show the answer
les