In the eyes of Russian people, France looks like something sophisticated and intelligent. The rich culture of this country attracts tourists from all over the world, the architectural heritage amazes the minds of sophisticated connoisseurs, and traditions encourage relaxation and leisurely daydreaming. Visiting France is the number one goal for all romantics in the world. But before you carry out your plans, you should get acquainted with the local language: the French do not like to speak English and are extremely reluctant to listen to it.
French is the language of elite society
The nineteenth century entered Russian history as French: in those days, noble society could not imagine communicating in another language. Until now, it is considered a sign of luxury and wealth, and those who master it perfectly are people of considerable intelligence. However, learning the language of capricious France is not so easy: in addition to the many tenses and irregular verbs, there is a smaller, but no less significant difficulty - articles in French.
Why are articles needed?
It is difficult for a Russian to understand what function articles perform in French speech, since they have no analogues in their native language. However, for the French, the presence of articles is extremely important: with their help, they convey information about whether the subject of conversation has been mentioned before, whether it appears in speech for the first time, or whether some part of it is being spoken about. Articles in the French language play one of the main roles, so it is impossible to miss this topic, considering that it is useless to know it.
Types of French articles
Unlike common English, which contains only two articles, French boasts three types of particles: definite, indefinite and partial. Separately, you will have to memorize fused articles, but this task is the last on the list of those that should be completed to fully understand French grammar.
Definite article
The definite article in French is one of the most common particles. Each text will necessarily contain more than a dozen specific nouns. Such particles are used with words that have been encountered before, or with those that are a priori unique.
For example: Le Soleil éclaire la Terre - The sun illuminates the Earth. In this case, both the Sun and the Earth mean unique concepts - they are the only ones in the world, and there can be no talk of any others.
Une femme traverse la rue. La femme est jeune et belle. - A woman is crossing the street. The woman is young and beautiful. In this case we are talking about a woman already familiar from the previous remark, so the definite article is used. For ease of understanding, you can mentally replace it with the words “this”, “this”, “this”.
Indefinite article
On the contrary, it indicates an unfamiliar object. In French, it can be used before nouns that belong only to a certain class.
For example: C"est une belle bague - This is a beautiful ring. In this case, the word “ring” is not only used for the first time, but also denotes class - not everyone has beautiful rings.
Une femme lui a telephone. - The woman called him. The word “woman” had not been used before, and who exactly called was not specified, so the word is preceded by the indefinite article une.
This type of article can be mentally defined by the words “some”, “some”, “some”. To use this grammatical unit correctly, you only need to understand the meaning of its use: the indefinite article indicates something unknown and non-specific.
Partial article
The partial article in French is used to denote uncountable objects and abstract concepts. Uncountable objects include food, matter (air, water), material, generalizing words (noise, for example).
The shape of this particle deserves special attention. They are formed by adding the preposition de to the definite article. For greater clarity, it is better to familiarize yourself with the table.
Examples of use: Je mange du viande - I eat meat. In this case, the partial article indicates that the action occurs with a separate unit of the product. “A person cannot eat all the provisions,” the French think, “this must be noted.”
Vous avez du courage. - You are brave. Bravery is an abstract concept that cannot be measured.
French articles: ways to memorize
For a better understanding, it is worth working on the topic that the French language mainly consists of - “Articles”. The exercises will put everything in its place, and the topic will be easy to remember. A good example of exercises are tasks in which you need to insert one of the types of articles in place of the gap.
Exercise 1
Use an article that makes sense.
1) Marie adore __ roses (answer: les).
2) Robert écrit __ texte, c’est __ texte sur __ cinéma (answer: un, un, le).
3) C'est __ nappe. C'est __ nappe de Julie. __ nappe est sur __ bureau (answer: une, la, la, le).
There are several ways to help avoid confusion in the use of articles. They mainly involve structuring grammatical rules. Thus, you need to remember that indefinite articles in French are used with nouns that appear for the first time, as well as with unknown concepts. Partial article - with something abstract and uncountable. With the words "water" and food names, the partial article can be mentally replaced with the word "part". All that remains is the definite article, which is used in all other cases.
Articles help to correctly understand the speech of your interlocutor, translate any text, and easily compose a sentence. In French they are very important, because the correct structure of a sentence is ensured by these particles. There is no need to cram the rules: understanding is what really matters. And it will definitely come, you just need to try a little.
The preposition has no independent use, but it simultaneously establishes a syntactic (connects two members of a sentence) and semantic (gives meaning) relationship between two words in a sentence.
The preposition can only be used:
With nouns or proper names. Ce sont des cadeaux pour mon frère/ pour Jean. These are gifts for my brother/for Jean
With pronouns. Cette fleur est pour toi, ma chérie. This flower is for you, my dear.
With present or past infinitives. Je suis ravie d'avoir reçu tes lettres. I am happy when I receive your letters. Enchantée de vous voir ici. Nice to see you here.
With adjectives. C'est toujours plus facile à dire qu'à faire. It's always easier said than done.
So, what are prepositions used for? It can be used to express various relationships, for example:
Possessions: la guitare de mon mari (the guitar that belongs to my husband), la cire à modeler de son frère cadet (the clay that belongs to her younger brother)
Purpose, use: une tasse à café (coffee cup)
Time: je ferai ce travail à la fin de l’été (when it is the end of summer)
Prepositions have forms and they can be:
In simple words: (à, dans, par, sur, de, chez, pour, en, vers, avec, etc)
In compound words: (à travers de, auprès de, faut de, à cause de, à partir de, jusqu’à, etc)
Active participles: (suivant, durant) or passive participles: (exepté)
Preposition - in, on, with… “à”
It serves to form an indirect object (most often it answers the question of the dative case in Russian: to whom? to what?) and is used:
With a verb: A l’école primaire on apprend à lire et à écrire. In elementary school they teach reading and writing.
With a noun: je donne cette glace à ma fille I give this portion of ice cream to my daughter.
With adverb: J'ai beaucoup à lire. I need to read a lot.
With an adjective: Le chinois n’est pas facile à apprendre. Chinese is not an easy language to learn.
When this preposition forms an object with a noun, it conveys:
- the idea of purpose, use: une tasse à café - a cup for coffee (a cup in which coffee is served), une assiette à soupe - a plate for soup (a plate in which soup is served).
Do not confuse constructions with the preposition “de”, which mean: une tqsse de café (pleine) cup (full) of coffee; une assiette de soupe (pleine) a plate (full) of soup.
- the idea of the definition: une jeune fille aux yeux bleus - a girl with blue eyes; un garçon à la casquette - a boy in a cap.
When he introduces a circumstance, he conveys:
- idea of location (currently or direction): Nous allons à Varsovie. We are going to Warsaw. Je travaille à la bibliothèque. I work in a library.
- the idea of distance: L’école est à deux kilomètre de ma maison. The school is located two kilometers from my house.
- idea of time: Je reviens à minuit. I'm coming back at midnight. A bientôt. See you. A demain. Till tomorrow. A mardi. Till Tuesday.
- the idea of space: A deux pas d’ici. Two steps from here. A trois jours de navigation. Three days of sailing.
- idea of measure: Vous vendez les fruits au poids ou à la pièce? Do you sell fruit by weight or by piece?
- the idea of a course of action: Etre à la mode. Be in fashion. Parler à voix basse. Speak in a low voice.
- the idea of accompaniment, accompaniment: Un coq au vin rouge. Rooster in red wine. Un gateaux à la crème. Cake with cream.
- the idea of belonging (with the verb “être”): Ce portable est à ma bru. This mobile phone belongs to my sister-in-law.
- idea of functioning: Le fournaue à gaz. Gas stove. Le moulin a vent. Windmill.
Before masculine country names beginning with a consonant to indicate location or direction:
Mes neveux vivent au Viêt-nam. My nephews live in Vietnam. Ma belle-mère va au Brésil. My mother-in-law is going to Brazil.
In some colloquial expressions:
- Au voleur! Stop the thief! A l'aide! Help! Au secours! For help!
- A table! Please come to the table!
- A votre santé! For your health! A votre! For yours (when they clink glasses).
- A vos souhaits! Be healthy! (when someone sneezes).
- Le fils à papa. Mama's boy (spoiled child).
- Travailler à la tête reposée. Work with a fresh mind.
- Dormir à poings refmés. To sleep deeply.
- A gauche. Left; à droite. right.
The preposition “à” merges with the definite article “le” and “les”, forming the forms of the fused article “au”, “aux”.
Some French verbs require the use of the preposition "à" before the indefinite form of the verb that follows it:
Start doing something - commencer; incite someone to do something - provoquer; help someone do something - aider; agree to something; do something - consentir; force someone to do something - obliger; teach someone to do something - apprendre; contribute to something - contributor; succeed - arriver, succeed in something - parvenir; prepare for something - se préparer; do something; strive to do something - aspirer; to condemn something - condamner; refuse to do something - renoncer; to address someone - s’adresser; to get used to someone - s"habituer, s"accoutumer, to do something; to be interested in someone - s’intéresser, in something; limit - se borner; invite to do something - inviter and many others.
Il continue à travailler à l’Université. He continues to work at the University. Je me suis déjà habituée à me choucher tard. I'm already used to going to bed late.
Preposition - in, on, for - “en”
The preposition "" is used mainly before a noun without an article to form an adverbial circumstance:
- places where they are going or where they live (before the names of feminine and masculine countries starting with a vowel):
J'habite en Pologne, mais je vais en misson en Irac. I live in Poland, but I'm going on a business trip to Iraq. Les enfants sont en classe. Children in class.
- abstract place:
En tête - In the head, en mémoire - in memory, en théorie - in theory, docteur en droit - doctor of law. Etre nul / être fotr en mathémqtiaue. Be a complete zero / be strong in mathematics. Lire et écrire en russe. Read and write in Russian.
- time (month, year, season):
Je suis née en octobre en automne en 1987. I was born in October, autumn, in 1987.
It is used to mean:
- duration of action:
Les ouvriers ont monté la machine en trois jours. Workers installed the mechanism in 3 days.
- mode of action:
Elles travaillaient en silence. They worked in silence. Etre en uniforme. Be in uniform. Couper le poulet en quatre morceaux. Cut the chicken into 4 pieces.
- thanks movement:
En avoin - By plane, en auto / voiture - by car, en train - by train, en bus - by bus, en métro - by metro, en tram - by tram, en trolleybus - by trolleybus, en bateau - by ship ( move in a closed space). This also includes - on roller skates: en rollers.
But: à pied - on foot, à cheval - on horseback, à moto - on a motorcycle, à vélo/ bicyclette - on a bicycle (move in open space)
Often the preposition “en” is used to convey various definitions and characteristics: une robe en soie - silk dress, une montre en or - gold watch, un mur en bois - wooden wall, un vase en verre - glass vase, une clé en fer - iron key, des gants en cuir - leather gloves - (literal meaning - the material from which a dress, clock, wall, etc. is made), un poème en prose - a poem in prose (characteristic), mourir en héros - to die hero (en=comme as hero).
But:
Le coeur d'or. Heart of gold, les cheveux d'or. golden hair (figuratively - “de”).
- physical and moral condition:
Mon époux était en colère. My husband was angry.
But:
Etre de bonne / mauvaise humeure. Be in a good/bad mood.
- with pronouns:
Je sens en lui de la force. I feel the strength in him.
You can say "woolen sweater" with the preposition "en" or "de". But if the subject is a pronoun, then only the preposition “en” can be used before the word denoting the material:
Regarde ce pull. Look at this sweater. Il est en laine, non? Is it wool?
In combination, the prepositions “de” and “en” mean sequential development:
Etre de plus en plus pauvre. Becoming poor. Son état s'améliorait d'heure en heure. Her condition improved every hour.
"En" is the only preposition that, when combined with an active participle, forms a gerund:
En lisant - Reading, en regardant - looking, en sortant - going out.
The preposition “en” is often used in colloquial expressions:
En un clin d'oeil. In an instant, instantly.
Couper un cheveu en quatre. To be clever, to be sophisticated, to engage in nonsense. (compliquer inutilement les choses)
Se deguiser en Zorro. Change clothes, dress up as Zorro.
En plain rue. In the middle of the street. En plain air. Open air. En plain figure. Right in the face.
Prendre qn en grippe. To dislike someone. (se mettre à le détester)
Etre en rapport avec qn. Be in contact with someone.
En plain mer. In the open sea. En plain nuit. In the middle of the night, at night. En plain jour. During the day.
Gradually, the blog is filled with useful resources on various foreign languages. Today it’s French’s turn again - here’s a list of 100 basic phrases that will be useful to you in simple dialogue. You can say hello, say goodbye, ask simple questions and answer your interlocutor.
When repeating or memorizing phrases, do not forget to listen to the voice-over and repeat after the announcer. To reinforce the expressions, repeat them for several days, making small dialogues and sentences with them.
(Some words have feminine endings in brackets -e and plural -s, -es).
| phrase | translation | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | What's new? | Quoi de neuf? |
| 2. | Long time no see. | Ça fait longtemps. |
| 3. | Nice to meet you. | Enchanté(e). |
| 4. | Excuse me. | Excusez-moi. |
| 5. | Bon appetit! | Bon appétit! |
| 6. | I'm sorry. Sorry. | Je suis désolé(e). |
| 7. | Thanks a lot. | Merci beaucoup. |
| 8. | Welcome! | Bienvenue! |
| 9. | My pleasure! (in response to gratitude) | De rien! |
| 10. | Do you speak Russian? | Parlez-vous russe? |
| 11. | Do you speak English? | Parlez-vous anglais? |
| 12. | How would it be in French? | Comment dire ça en français? |
| 13. | I don't know. | Je ne sais pas. |
| 14. | I speak French a little. | Je parle français un petit peu. |
| 15. | Please. (Request.) | S'il vous plaît. |
| 16. | Can you hear me? | Vous m"entendez? |
| 17. | What kind of music do you listen to? | Tu écoute quel style de music? |
| 18. | Good evening! | Bonsoir! |
| 19. | Good morning! | Bon matin! |
| 20. | Hello! | Bonjour! |
| 21. | Hello! | Salut. |
| 22. | How are you doing? | Comment ça va? |
| 23. | How are you? | Comment allez-vous? |
| 24. | Everything is fine, thank you. | Ça va bien, merci. |
| 25. | How is your family? | Comment ça va votre famille? |
| 26. | I have to go. | Je dois y aller. |
| 27. | Goodbye. | Au revoir. |
| 28. | What do you do? (in life) | Que faites-vous? |
| 29. | Can you write this down? | Est-ce que vous pouvez l'écrire? |
| 30. | I don't understand. | Je ne comprends pas. |
| 31. | You are busy now? | Vous êtes occupé maintenant? |
| 32. | I like... / I love... | J"aime... |
| 33. | What are you doing in your free time? | Quoi fais-tu en temps libre? |
| 34. | Don't worry. | Ne vous inquiétez pas! |
| 35. | That's a good question. | C'est une bonne question. |
| 36. | Can you speak slowly? | Pouvez-vous parler lentement? |
| 37. | What time is it now? | Quelle heure est-il? |
| 38. | See you later! | A tout à l"heure! |
| 39. | See you later. | A plus tard. |
| 40. | every day | tous les jours |
| 41. | I'm not sure). | Je ne suis pas sûr. |
| 42. | in short | en bref |
| 43. | Exactly! | Exactement! |
| 44. | No problem! | Pas de problem! |
| 45. | Sometimes | parfois |
| 46. | Yes | oui |
| 47. | No | non |
| 48. | Let's go! | Allons-y! |
| 49. | What is your name? | Comment vous appelez-vous? |
| 50. | What is your name? | Tu t "appelles comment? |
| 51. | My name is... | Je m'appelle... |
| 52. | Where are you from? | Vous etes d"où? |
| 53. | Where are you from? | Tu es d"où? |
| 54. | I'm from... | Je suis de... |
| 55. | Where do you live? | Où habitez-vous? |
| 56. | Where do you live? | Tu habits où? |
| 57. | He lives in... | Il habite... |
| 58. | I think that... | Je pense que... |
| 59. | You understand? | Comprenez-vous? |
| 60. | You understand? | Tu comprends? |
| 61. | What's your favorite movie? | Quel est ton film préféré? |
| 62. | Can you help me? | Pouvez-vous m"aider? |
| 63. | How is the weather? | Quel temps fait-il? |
| 64. | here, over there | voilà |
| 65. | Certainly | bien sûr |
| 66. | Where is...? | Où est... ? |
| 67. | there is, there is | il y a |
| 68. | This is cool! | C'est bien! |
| 69. | Look! | Regardez! |
| 70. | Nothing happened. | Ça ne fait rien. |
| 71. | Where is subway? | Où est le metro? |
| 72. | How much does it cost? | Combien ça coûte? |
| 73. | By the way | à propos |
| 74. | I have to say that... | Je dois dire que... |
| 75. | We want to eat. | Nous avons faim. |
| 76. | We're thirsty. | Nous avons soif. |
| 77. | Are you Hot? | Tu as chaud? |
| 78. | Are you cold? | Tu as froid? |
| 79. | I don't care. | Je m"en fiche. |
| 80. | We forgot. | Nous avons oublié(e)s. |
| 81. | Congratulations! | Felicitations! |
| 82. | I have no idea. | Je n"ai aucune idee. |
| 83. | What are you talking about? | Vous parlez de quoi? |
| 84. | Tell me what you think. | Dites-moi ce que vous pensez. |
| 85. | I hope that... | J"espere que... |
| 86. | in truth | à vrai dire |
| 87. | I need information. | J'ai besoin de renseignements. |
| 88. | I heard that... | J'ai entendu que... |
| 89. | Where is the hotel situated? | Où est l'hotel? |
| 90. | in any case, nevertheless | quand meme |
| 91. | I'd like some coffee. | Je voudrais du café. |
| 92. | with pleasure | avec plaisir |
| 93. | Can you tell me please? | Vous pouvez-me dire, s"il vous plait? |
| 94. | in my opinion | à mon avis |
| 95. | I'm afraid that...(+ verb infinitive) | Je cranes de... |
| 96. | in general, on the whole | en general |
| 97. | Firstly | premiere |
| 98. | Secondly | deuxièmement |
| 99. | On the one side | d"un côte |
| 100. | but in other way | mais d'un autre côté |
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Sometimes nouns in French are used without an article, and instead of the article the preposition de is used. This happens in the following cases:
1. After words denoting quantity
These words include quantitative adverbs and any nouns expressing volume, weight, etc. (these are measures of weight, names of containers, containers, etc.).
Quantitative adverbs requiring the use of the preposition de:
beaucoup de - a lot
peu de - little
un peu de - a little
assez de - enough
trop de - enough, enough
près de - about
plus de - more
moins de - less
J'ai acheté beaucoup de fruits. — I bought a lot of fruit.
Nouns expressing weight or volume(sample list):
une boîte de - box
un bol de - glass
un bouquet - bouquet
une bouteille de - bottle
une cuillère de - spoon
une design de - ten
une douzaine de - a dozen
100 grammes de - 100 grams
un kilo de - kilogram
un liter de - liter
une livre de - half a kilo, pound
un morceau de - piece
une pincée de - a pinch
une tasse de - cup
une tranche de - hunk, piece
un verre de - glass
Exceptions:
1) After words from the following list you must put . Attention to the preposition de!
la plupart de - the majority
la moitié de - half
le reste de - the remainder
bien de - a lot
la moitié du travail - half the work
la plupart des gens - most people
2) After quantitative adverbs and nouns, the complement should be used with , if the sentence contains an indication of the ownership of this object or is followed by a subordinate clause that is the definition of this noun, or this noun is determined by context. Pay attention to cases with the preposition de!!!
Beaucoup des amies de la princesse... - Many friends of the duchess (whose? - “duchess” - an indication of affiliation)...
Beaucoup des gens que j’ai rencontrés à Londres m’ont dit... - Many people I met in London told me (which ones? - “whom I met” - subordinate clause) ...
J'aimerais un verre du jus que tu as apporte. — I would like a glass of juice that you brought.
3) Quantitative adverbs can refer to the verb rather than the object. In this case, the article required by the context is placed before the noun object:
Nous pensons beaucoup au voyage. — We think a lot about travel.
2. Instead of an indefinite or partial article after a verb in the negative form:
J'ai une soeur, je n'ai pas de fres. - I have a sister, I have no brothers (instead of the informal article des).
J'ai acheté du pain, je n'ai pas acheté de beurre. — I bought bread, I didn’t buy butter (instead of the partial article du).
Exceptions:
1) After the verb être in the negative form, the article does not change to the preposition de:
C'est une table. Ce n'est pas une table. - It is a table. This is not a table.
Ce sont des chaises. ce ne sont pas des causes. - These are chairs. These are not chairs.
2) If the object after a verb in the negative form is determined by the situation/context (there is an indication of belonging, subordinate clause, etc.), the definite article is placed in front of it:
Je n'ai pas vu les films que vous m'aviez recommandés. — I didn’t watch the films you recommended to me.
Il n'a pas eu la patience de nous attendre. “He didn’t have the patience to wait for us.”
3. The preposition de (d’) is placed instead of the plural indefinite article (des) before the adjective that precedes the noun:
Dans ce parc il y a de vieux arbres. — There are old trees in this park.
D‘énormes pivoines fleurissent dans mon jardin. — Huge peonies bloom in my garden.
Exceptions:
1) The indefinite article of the plural is retained if the adjective and noun form a stable combination. For example:
des rouges-gorges - robins
des jeunes gens - young people
des jeunes filles - girls
des petits pâtés - pies
des petits pois - peas
des petits fours - cookies
des grands-parents - grandparents
des plates-bandes - beds
But, if another adjective is used before such combinations, de is placed:
de pâles jeunes filles - pale girls
de beaux jeunes gens - beautiful young people
2) It should be noted that in colloquial speech there is a tendency to use the article des before adjectives in any cases, with the exception of constructions with adjectives autres (others) and tels / telles (such):
Il me faut d' autres cahiers pour continuer le travail. — I need other notebooks to continue my work.
Je n'ai pas reçu de tels cadeaux. — I did not receive such gifts.
4. The partial article and the indefinite article of the plural are omitted after the preposition de
(in this way, dissonant combinations de des, de du, de de la, de l’ are avoided):
Les toits sont couverts de neige. — The roofs are covered with snow.
La pièce est ornée de fleurs. — The room is decorated with flowers.
Achète du jus de tomates. — Buy tomato juice.
Verbs and adjectives that require the use of the preposition de before the object:
plein de - full
avoir besoin de - to have a need
orner de - to decorate
couvrir de - to cover, to cover
remplir de - to fill
encomber de - to overwhelm, to clutter up
entourer de - to surround
border de - to plant; border
charger de - load
être vêtu de - to be dressed
Notes:
1) The singular indefinite article is retained:
La table est couverte d'une nappe. — The table is covered with a tablecloth.
2) If the addition is determined by the situation/context, it is preceded by a definite article (attention to the continuous article):
I'll be soin des Conseils de bons spécialistes. - He needs advice from good specialists.
5. Often the indefinite article is omitted after the preposition de before a noun denoting belonging:
un president d' université - president of the university
un chef-lieu de département - the main city of the department
une tête de poule - chicken head = chicken head
But: if the addition in such constructions does not indicate accessory, the article is not omitted:
le prix d'un melon - price of melon
6. De before complement nouns expressing characteristics
Often, complements of nouns expressing characteristics are used without an article (the construction “noun + de + noun”, where the second noun characterizes the first). In this case, their meaning is close to an adjective and can be translated into Russian as an adjective:
arrêt de bus = "bus stop" or "bus stop".
Articles in French, like many other languages, are divided into definite and indefinite.
Definite article: le (m.r., singular); – la (f.r., singular); - l" (m.r. and zh.r., singular, if the word begins with a vowel or silent h); - les (f.r. and m.r., plural)
We use the definite article to name a specific being, a specific person, or a specific thing. The definite article for the singular becomes “l’” before a noun beginning with a vowel or silent h.
Examples : Je suis Julie, la fille de Collette. (I'm Julie, Colette's daughter).
La cliente voudrait un gâteau au chocolat. (The client would like a chocolate cake).
Les deux frères sont très différents. (The two brothers are very different.)
Ce sont les parents de Felix? (Are these Felix's parents?)
C'est la collègue de Thomas. (This is Thomas' colleague.)
Fabienne invite ses enfants à la maison. (Fabien invites his children to his home.)
The definite article can be accompanied by prepositions à or de and then it forms continuous article:
a + le = au a + la = à la a + l’ = a l' a + les = aux
de + le = du de + la = de la de + l’ = de l' de + les = des
Examples:
- Vous dînez au restaurant, ce soir? (Are you having dinner at a restaurant tonight?)
- Ils voyagent souvent à l "étranger. (They often travel abroad.)
- Il va souvent dans des marches aux puces en ville. (He often goes to the city's flea markets.)
- Art Plus, c'est le magazine des arts. (Art Plus is a magazine about art.)
We use definite article:
1. Before the names of the parts of the day. Examples : Le matin(Morning). / À 2 heuresdu matin(At 2 am).
2. Before the days of the week. Examples: Nous dejeunons ensemble le lundi et le vendredi. (We have lunch together on Mondays and Fridays). (i.e. every Monday and every Friday we have lunch together.) But: Il reviendra mardi. (He will be back on Tuesday).
3. Before dates.Examples: Il reviendra le 17 octobre.(He will return on October 17). Je vais reprendre le travail le 8 juin. (I will start work again on June 8th). Le 15 août est la fête natinalle. (August 15 is a national holiday).
4. Before the seasons.Examples:: Aprésl' a utomne c'estl' h iver (After autumn comes winter).
5. Before geographical names.Examples : les Pyrénées (Pyrenees),la Seine (Seine),la Bretagne(Britain)…
6. To name peoples and languages. Examples : les Belges(Belgians), les Anglais (English)… / l' anglais (English language), le grec (Greek language)… Example: Elle parle parfaitement le japonais! (She speaks excellent Japanese!)
7. To name colors.Examples : le blanc (white),le rouge (red).
8. Before superlatives. Example: Set écrivain est le plus celebre en France. (This writer is the most famous in France).
9. To indicate the measure. Example : Les prices cost 4 euros le kilo. (Cherry costs 4 euros per kilogram).
10. To give approximate, approximate figures.Example :Ce jeune homme doit avoirla trentaine.(This young man is about 30 years old).
11. Before some holidays. Examples : La Saint-Nicolas (St. Nicolas day),l' Ascension (Ascension),la Pentecôte (Trinity Day).But: Noël (Christmas), Pâques (Easter)
12. In front of body parts. Example: Elle se love les mains. (She washes her hands.)
P.S. After the verbaimer(to love) we write onlydefinite article! Example: Vous aimez les lanques étrangères? (Do you like foreign languages?)
We do not use the article:
· Before proper names and names of cities, except for masculine city names. Examples : Athènes (Athens)/Le Havre/Paul(Paul), Mari (Marie), Collette (Colette)…
· Before monsieur, madame, mademoiselle. Example : Voilà Mademoiselle Lemoine.(Here is Mademoiselle Lemoine).
Indefinite article: un (m.r., singular) – une (f.r., singular) – d es(m.r. and f.r., plural) And partial article: du (m.r.) – de la (f.r.) – de l’(m.r. and zh.r. before a vowel orhmute) – des
We use indefinite article to name beings, people or things that are not specific, identified, meanwhile, partial article names some part of the whole.
Examples :
- Elle achète un sandwich. (She buys a sandwich).
- Collette est une amie de Françoise. (Colette is Françoise's friend).
- Je prépare une conférence pour deux cents personnes, en mai. (I'm preparing a conference for 200 people in May.)
- Vous avez un rendez-vous? (Are you having a meeting?)
- Ils mangent une tarte. (They eat cake).
- Vous regardez un documentaire a la television. (You are watching a documentary on TV).
- C'est fantastique d'étudier une nouvelle langue! (It's great fun to learn a new language!)
- Ils organisent une grande soirée pour leurs parents. (They are organizing a big party for their parents).
- Il achète de l'aspirine, de l'huile, de l'eau. (He buys aspirin, oil, water).
- Prends de la vitamine C! (Take some vitamin C!)
- J"écoute de la music. (I listen to music).
- Elle a ordonné des legumes avec du beurre. (She ordered vegetables with butter).
- On peut y voir des vases, des lampes, des photos, de la vaisselle. (You can find vases, lamps, photos, dishes there.)
- J'ai des amis à Québec. (I have friends in Quebec.)
We replace the indefinite article and partial article with the preposition de:
1. Before a plural adjective. Examples: Jules trouve chaque fois de beaux objets. (Jules always finds beautiful objects.) But we keep the article when adjective + noun = compound noun. Examples: Nous visitons souvent des Residences secondaires de nos parents. (We often visit our relatives' country houses.)
2. After an adverb or expression of quantity: beaucoup de(a lot of),peu de(few), plus de(more), moins de(less)…Examples: Beaucoup de tourists étrangers visitent la France. (Many foreign tourists visit France). Nous voyons plus de films ici qu’à Lyon. (We watch more films here than in Lyon). But: Bien des gens aiment voyager à l'étranger. (Many people like to travel abroad).
3. After expressions:un morceau de(a piece…) une tranche de(chunk, piece, cut...), one kilo de(kilogram…) une bouteille de(bottle …), un paquet de(package, bundle, pack...), un mètre de(meter…), …. Examples: Un kilo de pommes de terre (Kilogram of potatoes), Un paquet de biscuits (Pack of cookies)
4. In negation (except when the verb être is used in the phrase).Examples : Il ne boit pasde lait.(He doesn’t drink milk).Nous n’avons pasde saumon. (We don't have salmon).
But we do not change the form of the article if the negation does not apply to the entire phrase, but only to its separate part. Example:Marie ne boit pas d u café mais d u thé. (Marie doesn't drink coffee, but she does drink tea).
5. P after the preposition "sans" (without). Example: Il boit son thé sans sucre.(He prefers to drink coffee without sugar).Je voudrais un sandwich sans beurre. (I would like a sandwich without butter).
We also talked about indefinite articles in our new video lesson:
You can get more detailed advice from the author of the article or sign up for a lesson with any of our tutors.
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