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 |