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forms
In French, few nouns can stand alone. Most need to be introduced or 'determined' by an article. As in English, an article is characterized
as either definite ('the') or indefinite ('a', 'an').
In French, articles are also masculine or feminine, and singular or plural,
according to the gender and number of the noun they determine. Here are the indefinite articles in French:
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| masculine singular: un |
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Tex est un tatou.
Joe-Bob est un écureuil. |
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Tex is an armadillo.
Joe-Bob is a squirrel. |
| feminine singular: une |
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Bette est une chatte.
UT est une université |
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Bette is a cat. (female)
UT is a university. |
| plural: des |
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des tatous
des écureuils
des chats
des universités |
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(some) armadillos
(some) squirrels
(some) cats
(some) universities |
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 In the examples above,
listen carefully to the difference in pronunciation of un and des before words beginning with a consonant
(un tatou, des tatous) and before a words beginning with a vowel sound (un écureuil,
des écureuils). These are examples of liaison.
uses
As the English 'a' 'an' or 'some', the indefinite articles
un, une, des refer to nouns which are non-specific.
Un or une may also indicate quantity, 'a' or 'an' in the sense of 'one.'
Contrast the use of the indefinite and definite articles in the first two sentences below. The indefinite plural des is always expressed in French,
but its English equivalent 'some' is often omitted.
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| Joe-Bob et Corey ont une chambre dans une résidence universitaire à Austin. |
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Joe-Bob and Corey have a (one) room in a residence hall in Austin. |
| Ils ont la chambre numéro 1735 dans la résidence Jester. |
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They have the room #1735 in the Jester residence hall. |
| Joe-Bob et Corey sont des camarades de chambre. |
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Joe-Bob and Corey are roommates! |
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'de' after the negative
In a negative sentence, the indefinite articles un, une, des are replaced by de or d':
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| Tex: Joe-Bob, tu as un chien? |
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Tex: Joe-Bob, do you have a dog?' |
| Joe-Bob: Mais non! Je n'ai pas de chien. Je suis un écureuil. |
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Joe-Bob: No, I don't have a dog. I'm a squirrel. |
| Tex: Corey, tu as des amis? |
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Tex: Corey, do you have friends? |
| Corey: Mais non! Je n'ai pas d'amis. Je suis un cafard. |
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Corey: No, I don't have any friends. I'm a cockroach. |
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However, following the verb être, the indefinite articles un, une, des remain unchanged in the negative:
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| Edouard: Joe-Bob, c'est un écureuil. Ce n'est pas un tatou! |
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Edouard: Joe-Bob is a squirrel. He is not an armadillo. |
| Tex et Tammy, ce sont des tatous. Ce ne sont pas des escargots. |
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Tex and Tammy are armadillos. They are not snails. |
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before a plural adjective
Before a plural adjective which precedes a noun, des usually becomes de.
If the adjective comes after the noun, des does not change to de.
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| Edouard: Tex et Tammy sont de charmants amoureux. |
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Edouard: Tex and Tammy are charming lovers. |
| Bette: Ah bon? Ce ne sont pas seulement de bons amis? |
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Bette: Really? They are not just good friends? |
| Edouard: Tu ne trouves pas que Tex et Tammy sont des tatous parfaits l'un pour l'autre? |
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Edouard: Don't you think that Tex and Tammy are armadillos who are perfect for each other? |
| Bette: Absolument pas! |
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Bette: Absolutely not! |
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with adjectives of profession, nationality, and religion
Professions, nationalities and religions are considered adjectives in French and need no article after the verbs être and devenir.
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| Edouard: Tex devient professeur; il est américain; il n'est pas catholique. |
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Edouard: Tex is becoming a professor. He is American. He is not Catholic. |
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Listen to the dialogue:
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| Bette et Tammy parlent entre femmes. |
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Bette and Tammy are talking woman-to-woman. |
| Bette: Je n'ai pas de véritables amis! Tout le monde pense que je suis une méchante chatte. |
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Bette: I have no real friends! Everybody thinks that I am a wicked cat. |
| Tammy: Mais non Bette! Toi et moi nous sommes de vieilles amies! |
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Tammy: That's not true Bette! You and I are old friends!' |
| Bette: Oui, mais toi tu as un petit ami tandis que moi je n'ai pas de petit ami! |
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Bette: Yes, but you have a boyfriend whereas I don't have any boyfriend! |
| Tammy: Tu sais Bette, avoir un petit ami ce n'est pas toujours une partie de plaisir, surtout quand il s'appelle Tex! |
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Tammy: You know Bette, having a boyfriend is not always a fun thing, especially when he's called Tex! |
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