What is a Noun?
A noun is a person, place, or thing. Like English, nouns in French may be singular or plural. However, unlike English, French nouns can be either masculine or feminine. The easiest way of determining the noun’s gender is to learn the noun along with its corresponding definite article.
Definite Articles
A definite article is specific; it defines the number and gender of the noun to which it corresponds. In English, the only definite article is the, whereas in French there are four: la, le, l’ and les.
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | le, l’ | les |
| Feminine | la, l’ | les |
Please note, le or la change to l’ before a noun beginning in a vowel or an h (the h is silent in French).
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | le livre (the book), l’homme (the man), l’ami (the friend [male friend]) | les livres (the books), les hommes (the men), les amis (the friends [group of male friends or group of mixed gender friends]) |
| Feminine | la chaise (the chair), la femme (the woman), l’amie (the friend [female friend]) | les chaises (the chairs), les femmes (the women), les amies (the friends [group of female friends]) |
Important Note
In the examples above, note that le and la both become l’ when they come before a noun beginning with a vowel or a silent h: l’homme, l’université. This is called élision.
When les is followed by a word starting with a vowel, the normally silent final s of les is pronounced, making a /z/ sound. This additional sound linking two words is called liaison (we will discuss liaisons in a different section).
Plural Formation
As in English, the plural is generally formed by adding an s to the end of the singular form of the noun. Note, however, that the s is not pronounced. In spoken language, the article is often the only indication that a noun is singular or plural.
Important Notes
Generally, to form plurals, you can follow these rules:
- Add an s to the end of the word. Example: la chaise/les chaises (the chair/the chairs).
- Nouns ending in s, x, or z do not change in the plural. Example: la souris/les souris (the mouse/the mice).
- Nouns ending in al, ail, or au in the singular end in aux in the plural. Example: l’animal/les animaux (the animal/the animals).
- Nouns ending in eu, eau or ou in the singular add x in the plural. Example: le bijou/les bijoux (the jewel/the jewels).
Remember that there are exceptions and that not all nouns follow the rules above.
Exercise 2: Nouns and Definite Articles
Fill in the Blanks
Indefinite Articles
The second type of article in French is indefinite. These correspond to the English a (an) (singular) and some (plural). Just like the definite article, the indefinite article has different masculine, feminine, and plural forms.
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | un | des |
| Feminine | une | des |
Remember, for most plural forms of singular nouns, you add an s to the end of the word.
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | un livre (a book), un homme (a man), un ami (a friend [male friend]) | des livres (some books), des hommes (some men), des amis (some friends [group of male friends or group of mixed gender friends]) |
| Feminine | une chaise (a chair), une femme (a woman), une amie (a friend [female friend]) | des chaises (some chairs), des femmes (some women), des amies (some friends [group of female friends]) |
Exercise 3: Indefinite Articles
Fill in the Blanks
This section includes content derived from Liberté, originally released under CC BY-NC-SA, and Tex’s French Grammar, originally released under CC BY 3.0.
