How to use the definite article in French

You want to learn how to use the definite article in French? You've come to the right place! Scroll down and see the short French lessons complete with useful examples. The apple, the house, the book... we'll teach you about the French definite article in a simple, clear and enjoyable way.

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The French definite article

The definite article is what we call the word 'the' in English. The definite article is used with nouns. The English definite article 'the' is 'le' or 'la' in French. The word 'le' is used with masculine nouns and the word 'la' is used with feminine nouns. If however the noun starts with a vowel, the definite article is shortened to 'l''.

Examples

le bâtiment

the building

le lit

the bed

la fleur

the flower

la maison

the house

la chose

the thing

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Basic words and phrases in French

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Step 4 : The definite article in French

The definite article is what we call the word the in English. The definite article is used with nouns. Using the nouns livre, chaise and porte (book, chair, door) which you learned in Step 3, learn how to use the definite article with each of the nouns. The nouns together with the definite article are le livre, la chaise and la porte (the book, the chair, the door). You can scroll to the top of this page to see a short lesson about the definite article in French including useful examples. Once you have learned to use the definite article with the French nouns livre, chaise and porte, you're ready to move on to Step 5 (the plural in French).

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The plural in French

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