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The terrace of a cafe in the French countryside. The building is an old stone house, up the road are cliffs. People are on the terrace, which has an awning. The sign on the side of the building and hanging over the door give the name of the cafe as Le Grand Jardin.

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The definite articles in French are: le, la, l’, and les. All of these are the equivalent of “the” in English.

You might be wondering why there are four “the” ‘s in French. It’s because the rules of French dictate that the article has to agree with the subject in gender and number, and also that that two vowels usually have to be separate. So each one of these French “the” ‘s is adapted to a specific situation.

Let’s learn more about when and how to use the definite articles in French.

What are the definite articles in French?

A definite article is a word that designates a specific noun. For instance, in English, “the cat” means you’re referring to a specific cat, while “a cat” means you’re talking about an unknown cat or cats in general.

In French, there are four different definite articles: le, la, l’, and les. All of these are the equivalent of “the” but they’re used with different kinds of words, according to the basic rules of French, which require an article to agree with (a) noun(s) in gender and number.

Here’s how each definite article in French works:

Definite articleUsed withExample
lea masculine, singular nounle livre
la a feminine, singular nounla musique
l’a masculine or feminine singular noun that starts with a vowell’illustration
lesplural masculine or feminine nounsles nuages
Note that when les is used with a word that begins with a vowel, you pronounce the “s”, making a hard “z” sound that is silent when les is used with a word that starts with a consonant.
 
For example: les doigts vs. les animaux

When to use the definite article in French

A pigeon stands on a surface, let's say a bench like in the example in the article.

As a general rule, le, la, l’, and les are the equivalents of “the” in English and would be used in most cases when you’d use “the”.

This includes…

when you refer to something (or in some cases, someone) specific

For example:

Le pigeon s’est posé à côté de moi sur le banc. (The pigeon sat next to me on the bench.)

C’est la femme de ses rêves. (That’s/She’s the girl of his dreams.)

Le grand méchant loup s’est déguisé en grand-mère. (The Big Bad Wolf disguised himself as a grandmother.)

…when the word “the” would be in the title of a book, movie, etc.

Son livre préféré est L’écume des jours et son film préféré est Le magicien d’Oz. (Her favorite book is Froth on the Daydream and her favorite movie is The Wizard of Oz.)

But there are some additional situations when a definite article is used in French.

In fact, as a general rule, keep in mind that in 99% of cases, French nouns that are not specific names or places must have some kind of article in front of them.

Unlike in English, you’d use a definite article in French…

…with an abstract idea or concept

Examples:

le racisme (racism)

la philosophie (philosophy)

l’impressionisme (Impressionism)

les lois (laws)

… with a noun used in a general, non-specific way

Examples:

J’aime les chats. (I love cats.)

Il aime le thé mais pas le café. (He likes tea but not coffee.)

…with “de” to show ownership/a connection

Examples:

C’est le cousin de ma mère. (That’s/He’s my mom’s cousin.)

C’est le gâteau préféré de son copain. (This is is his boyfriend’s favorite cake.)

…with specific dates

Examples:

La reunion aura lieu le 15 février. (The meeting will take place on February 15.)

Son anniversaire est le 27 octobre. (His birthday is October 27.)

…when addressing a group of people using a plural noun

Examples:

On y va, les amis ? (Shall we go, (my) friends?)

Les enfants, venez ici ! (Children, come here!)

…to express “per”

Examples:

Ça coûte 1 euro la minute. (It/This costs one euro per minute.)

C’est 50 centimes le kilo. (It’s 50 cents per kilogram.)

You can find some additional uses of the definite article in French on this list.

And keep in mind that some very specific grammatical structures and situations may also call for the use of the definite article – for instance, when talking about parts of the body in French. You’ll learn about these specific situations in your French classes and courses, and also by reading and listening to French.

How to use multiple definite articles in the same sentence

In English, we can usually use a definite article one time at the start of a list – for instance: “I hope you remembered the milk, flour, and eggs.” But in French, each noun in a list usually needs to be paired with its own article.

In a sentence where each listed item has a different gender and/or number, you include each one with its article.

Examples:

J’aime les livres et les chats. (I like books and cats.)

Son lapin mange les fraises, la salade, le foin, et l’escarole. (Her rabbit eats strawberries, lettuce, hay, and escarole.)

How to use French definite articles with à and de

A man and a woman, seen from behind and like silhouettes, stand holding hands on a sandy beach scattered with rocks. They look out at the ocean. It seems to be sunset. The photo appears to have been taken from a cave.
Je t’aime à l’infini.

When the preposition à (to, at) or de (of, from, or in certain cases, some) comes before a definite article, the preposition and article will sometimes just be written side by side. But if the article is masculine or plural, they’ll be combined to create a sort of hybrid word.

In other words:

à + la = à la 

à +  l’ = à l’ 

But  

à + le = au 

à + les = aux 

Note that when aux is used with a word that begins with a vowel, you pronounce the “x”, making a hard “z” sound that is silent when aux is used with a word that starts with a consonant.

For example: aux parcs vs. aux écoles

Here are some examples:

Nous sommes restés à la maison ce weekend. (We stayed at home/at the house this weekend.)

Ils vont au supermarché. (They’re going to the supermarket.)

Je t’aime à l’infini. (I love you endlessly.)

Aux armes, citoyens ! (To arms/Take up your arms, citizens!)

You follow the same rules when you use the preposition de: 

de + la = de la 

de + l’ = de l’ 

But

de + le = du 

de + les = des

Note that when des is used with a word that begins with a vowel, you pronounce the “s”, making a hard “z” sound that is silent when des is used with a word that starts with a consonant.

For example: des chiens vs. des oiseaux

Here are some examples:

Il lui doit de l’argent. (He owes him money.)

Il est très fan des Strompfs. (He’s a big fan of the Smurfs.)

Tu aimes cette bague ? Elle vient de la boutique où nous sommes allés hier. (Do you like this ring? It’s from the boutique we went to yesterday.)

Il va nous parler du trésor. (He’s going to tell us about the treasure.)

How can I practice using the definite article in French?

The more you read and listen to French, the more familiar and at ease you’ll be with the definite article.

You can also use language courses like the French Together app for exercises that will help you practice French definite articles.


I hope this article on French definite articles was helpful. Until next time! Au revoir les amis !

About Alysa Salzberg

Alysa Salzberg is an American writer, worrier, teacher, and cookie enthusiast who has lived in Paris, France, for more than a decade. She has taught English and French for more than ten years, most notably as an assistante de langue vivante for L'Education Nationale.

She recently published her first novel, Hearts at Dawn, a "Beauty and the Beast" retelling that takes place during the 1870 Siege of Paris.

You can read about her adventures here, or feel free to stop by her website.