The Definite Article : le, la, l’, les

As you know, a noun is a person, place or thing. When you want to refer to a specific person, place or thing, in English you use the defnite article the, in French, because we have gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) there are four different definite articles : le, la, l’, les .

 

1) “Le”

Before a masculine singular noun the definite article is le

Le chien (the dog)

Le chat (the cat)

Le garçon (the boy)

Le train (the train)

 

2) “La”

Before a feminine singular noun the definite article is la :

La maison (the house)

La voiture (the car)

La chemise (the shirt)

La fille (the girl)

 

3) “L”

Before a vowel  (the vowels are a,e,i,o,u,y) le or la become l’ :

L’ami (the friend)

L’avion (the plane)

L’enfant (the child)

L’orange (the orange)

 

4) “Les”

Before a masculine or feminine plural noun the definite article is les :

Les amis (the friends)

Les avions (the planes)

Les garçons (the boys)

Les filles (the girls)