Unlike the Polish language, where nouns stand alone, in French they are preceded by an article. The article not only indicates the grammatical gender but also informs whether the object is known to the speakers. This is a fundamental element of French grammar that cannot be overlooked during learning.
Types and Functions of Articles in French
Unlike proper names such as Pierre, Monique, Monsieur Chirac, common nouns are not used alone in sentences but are preceded by an article.
Articles do not exist in Polish, so their usage can be particularly difficult. In Polish, nouns are either masculine, e.g., chłopiec (boy), feminine, e.g., dziewczyna (girl), or neuter, e.g., dziecko (child). In French, there are only two genders: masculine and feminine. The neuter gender does not exist.
Polish and French words that refer to the same thing often have different grammatical genders, for example:
- dom (masculine, house) – une maison (feminine)
- praca (feminine, work) – un travail (masculine)
This is why it’s essential to learn each new noun with its article. You cannot forget what gender a noun has.
What Information Does the Article Convey?
The article preceding a noun provides the following information:
- It tells us whether the noun is masculine or feminine (only for singular).
- It tells us whether the object being referred to is known to the speakers or is new. If the object is already known, we precede it with the definite article.
Definite and Indefinite Articles
If the object is already known, we precede the noun with the definite article.
- Definite article
- Masculine: le
- Feminine: la
- Plural: les
If the object is new, meaning it appears for the first time in the text (conversation, article), we use the indefinite article.
- Indefinite article
- Masculine: un
- Feminine: une
- Plural: des
Imagine Ania and Pierre talking outside a house when an unfamiliar cat runs by. “Oh, a cat!” they would say in Polish. In French, however, they would say:
- Tiens, un chat! – with the indefinite article.
If, however, the cat was known to the speaker – for example, the neighbor’s cat, Monsieur Chirac’s cat – the speaker would exclaim: - Tiens, le chat de Monsieur Chirac! – using the definite article.
During a conversation, the object moves from being unknown to known as it is discussed further.
Let’s go back to the situation where Ania is talking to Pierre, and a cat runs by.
- Ania says: Tiens, un chat! – “Oh, a cat!”
- Pierre responds: C’est le chat de mon voisin. – “It’s my neighbor’s cat.”
Later, we’ll see circumstances where the article should be omitted. For now, remember that the sentences we’ve seen would be incorrect if we forgot about articles.
Under no circumstances can you say, for example:
C’est chien, J’ai minijupe, etc.
Partitive Article
In addition to definite and indefinite articles, French also has the partitive article:
- Masculine: du
- Feminine: de la
- Before a vowel: de l’
- Plural: des
The partitive article is used to denote things that are difficult to measure, weigh, or quantify. These are usually food products or abstract nouns. Let’s compare two sentences:
- Sur la table il y a un pain. – “There is a loaf of bread on the table.” (i.e., the whole loaf of bread)
- Sur la table il y a du pain. – “There is some bread on the table.” (We don’t know exactly how much.)
Examples of the Partitive Article
- Je bois du vin. – “I drink wine.”
- Il mange du fromage. – “He eats cheese.”
- Il prend du pain avec du beurre et souvent avec de la confiture. – “He eats bread with butter and often with jam.”
In negative sentences, the partitive article becomes de:
- Je ne bois pas de vin. – “I don’t drink wine.”
- Il ne mange pas de fromage. – “He doesn’t eat cheese.”
- Il ne prend pas de pain avec du beurre et de la confiture. – “He doesn’t eat bread with butter and jam.”
An exception is the verb être. After it, we don’t use de.
- C’est du sel ? Non, ce n’est pas du sel, c’est du sucre. – “Is this salt? No, it’s not salt, it’s sugar.”
Prepositions and Articles
There are fixed combinations of prepositions and articles:
- à + le = au (je vais au travail – “I’m going to work”)
- à + les = aux (aux temps de Mao – “in Mao’s time”)
- de + le = du (aux temps du vieux Mao – “in the old Mao’s time”)
- de + les = des (les repas des Français – “the meals of the French”)
The combinations à la and de la do not have contracted forms.
Summary
Articles are a key element of the French language that determine the grammatical gender of the noun and its level of familiarity to the speakers. Correct usage requires considering context and following grammatical rules. Regular practice and conscious use of articles will help avoid errors and make French more accessible.
The information in this article is based on the course for Polish speakers: Francuski A1. Pas de problème!
Check out the courses for English speakers:
