Comparaison des articles
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There are three types of French articles: definite, indefinite, and partitive, and it’s not always easy to know which one you need due to differences in article usage in French and English. Here’s a detailed comparison to help you decide.
En résumé
singular | plural | |||||
masc | fem | f + vowel | ||||
definite | le | la | l’ | les | ||
indefinite | un | une | un / une | des | ||
partitive | du | de la | de l’ | des |
Singular articles
1) The definite article has two opposing meanings: it indicates either a specific item or something in general, the idea of something.
J’ai acheté le chocolat que tu aimes bien. | I bought the (specific) chocolate you like. | |
Tu aimes bien le chocolat. | You like chocolate (in general). |
Learn more about definite articles.
2) The singular indefinite article is the easiest of all – it refers to one of something, and is nearly always equivalent to "a," "an," or "one" in English.*
– Est-ce que tu as un chien ? – Oui, j’ai un chien. |
– Do you have a dog? – Yes, I have a / one dog. |
|
Il a acheté un oignon. | He bought an / one onion. |
* The only real exception is when talking about a person’s profession or another defining characteristic: Je suis médecin – I’m a doctor.
Learn more about indefinite articles.
3) The partitive refers to a part of something, often food or drink. Using it indicates that the amount is unknown or uncountable.
J’ai acheté du chocolat. | I bought some chocolate. | |
Tu devrais boire de l’eau. | You should drink some water. |
Learn more about partitive articles.
Plural articles
1) The plural definite article, les, has the same two opposing meanings as the singular.
J’ai déjà lu les livres. | I’ve already read the (specific) books. | |
Tu aimes les livres. | You like books (in general). |
Learn more about definite articles.
2) The plural indefinite article des refers to more than one of something countable and is equivalent to "some."
Il a acheté des oignons. | He bought (some) onions. | |
J’ai vu des chiens dans la rue. | I saw some dogs in the street. |
Learn more about indefinite articles.
3) The plural partitive article, also des, indicates an amount of something uncountable. It is also equivalent to "some."
J’ai acheté des épinards. | I bought some spinach. | |
Il a fait des dégâts. | He did some damage. |
Learn more about partitive articles.
Definite vs indefinite article
The difference between the French definite and indefinite article is pretty straightforward: the definite article refers to something specific, while the indefinite refers to something unspecific.
Je vois le chien dont tu m’as parlé. | I see the dog you told me about. | |
vs | ||
Je vois un chien dans la rue. | I see a dog in the street. |
Definite vs partitive article
The definite article references the whole of something specific or the general sense of something, while the partitive indicates a part of a whole.
J’aime les épinards. | I like spinach. | |
vs | ||
Je mange des épinards. | I’m eating (some) spinach. |
Indefinite vs partitive article
The indefinite article is used for countable nouns, the partitive for uncountable / mass nouns.
Je veux un verre d’eau. | I want a glass of water. | |
vs | ||
Je veux de l’eau. | I want some water. |
Un verre is countable, while eau is uncountable. You can tell by asking about the amount: "how many" means you’re dealing with a countable noun, while "how much" means it’s uncountable.
Indefinite | Partitive | |||
verre | how many glasses? | |||
eau | how much water? | |||
euros | how many euros? | |||
argent | how much money? |

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