Three forms — un, une, des
The indefinite article goes before a noun that is new or not specific: a book, an idea. The form depends on the gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun.
The three forms
| Article | Used before | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un | masculine singular | un livre (a book) |
| une | feminine singular | une table (a table) |
| des | plural (masculine and feminine) | des livres (books, some books) |
Singular: un or une
Masculine nouns take un, feminine nouns take une. Learn the gender together with each noun. You can hear the difference at the end: un is nasal with no n-sound [œ̃], une has a clear n [yn].
Je voudrais un café.
I would like a coffee.
C'est un bon film.
It's a good film.
Elle cherche une maison.
She's looking for a house.
Il y a une boulangerie près d'ici.
There is a bakery near here.
Plural: des
des is the plural of both un and une. It often matches English some, but English can leave the article out (“I have friends”). French cannot: J'ai des amis, not J'ai amis.
Elle mange des fruits.
She eats fruit.
Il y a des gens dans le parc.
There are people in the park.
J'ai des amis à Paris.
I have friends in Paris.
In negative sentences — de
After a negation, un, une and des all become de, or d' before a vowel or silent h: J'ai un chat → Je n'ai pas de chat.
Elle a des amis.
She has friends.
Elle n'a pas d'amis.
She doesn't have friends.
