Lesson 2 -
Grammar 1- Indefinite articles: un, une, des.
The French determiner that corresponds to English 'a' or 'an' has the following shapes:
Singular:
1. 'une' occurs before feminine singular nouns:
| French / Français | English / Anglais |
|---|---|
| une chambre | a bedroom |
| une amie | a friend |
2. 'un' occurs before masculine singular nouns:
| French / Français | English / Anglais |
|---|---|
| un frère | a brother |
| un restaurant | a restaurant |
| un étage | a floor |
| un ami | a friend |
Plural:
As a rule, French nouns have to be preceded by a determiner in the plural form as well as in the singular form.
'des' is the plural form for the indefinite article.
| French / Français | English / Anglais |
|---|---|
| ils ont un enfant | they have a child |
| ils ont des enfants | they have children |
| des restaurants | (some) restaurants |
| des chambres | (some) bedrooms |
Determiners
Review:
We have learned so far that:
| Singular
or plural / Singulier ou pluriel |
French / Français |
English / Anglais |
|---|---|---|
Singular |
A
feminine noun beginning with a consonant can be preceded by la or une. |
|
| la chambre | the bedroom | |
| une chambre | a bedroom | |
| A
masculine noun beginning with a consonant can be preceded by le or un. |
||
| le livre | the book | |
| un livre | a book | |
| Any noun beginning with a vowel can be preceded by l’ or un/une. | ||
| l'enfant | the child | |
| un enfant | a child | |
| l'heure | the hour | |
Plural |
Nouns can be preceded by les or des. | |
| les chambres | the bedrooms | |
| des chambres | some bedrooms | |
| les amis | the friends | |
| des amis | some friends | |