Les noms et les articles

Designate a person, place, or thing. Nouns and articles: Designate a person, place, or thing. Nouns are either singular or plural. In French, unlike in English, French nouns also have a gender meaning they are masculine or feminine.

Nouns and articles: Nouns that identify a male are usually masculine. Nouns that identify a female are usually feminine. Some examples: Masculine Feminine le garçon (the boy) la fille (the girl) un homme (a man) une femme (a woman) le chanteur (the singer) la chanteuse (the singer) un acteur (an actor) une actrice (an actress)

Teacher = un professeur (always masculine when spelled out) Nouns and articles: Some nouns have only one gender and can refer to a male or a female such as Teacher = un professeur (always masculine when spelled out) For designating the gender of a teacher, the French use un prof for a male teacher and une prof for a female teacher. Person = une personne Doctor = un médecin, un docteur Some nouns can be masculine or feminine without any spelling change such as: Masculine Feminine un élève une élève un artiste une artiste un journaliste une journaliste

Nouns and articles: Places and objects are masculine or feminine! You must memorize their gender! Masculine Feminine le Canada, le Mexique la France, la Géorgie le gymnase la bibliothèque le café la boutique le bureau la salle de classe le sac à dos la calculatrice le livre la table

To make nouns plural, you usually add an S. Nouns and articles: To make nouns plural, you usually add an S. HOWEVER, words that end in EAU will add an X instead of an _S_. Most masculine nouns ending in AL drop the AL and add AUX to become plural.

Notice the articles (le, la, l’) change, too! Nouns and articles: Notice the articles (le, la, l’) change, too! To make nouns plural, you usually add an S. HOWEVER, words that end in EAU will add an X instead of an _S_. Most masculine nouns ending in AL drop the AL and add AUX to become plural. Singular Plural add an s le garçon les garçons la fille les filles eaueaux le bureau, le tableau les bureaux, les tableaux alaux le cheval, l’animal (m) les chevaux, les animaux

les acteurs les chanteurs Nouns and articles: Mixed groups of males and females will use the masculine form of the noun to identify them. les acteurs les chanteurs les actrices la chanteuse

An article: the, a, an, some Nouns and articles: Almost ALL nouns in French are modified by a determiner: An article: the, a, an, some A possessive: my, your, his, her, our, their A quantifier: one, two, three, etc. A demonstrative: this, that, these, those

There are two types of articles: Definite and indefinite. Nouns and articles: There are two types of articles: Definite and indefinite. Definite articles refer to a specific or known noun. The is the English definite article. Indefinite articles refer to an unspecified thing. A, an, and some are the indefinite articles in English.

le la l' les un une des Nouns and articles: Masculine Singular Feminine Singular Masculine or Feminine Singular Before a Vowel or Silent “H” Plurals (Masculine or Feminine) Definite Articles Indefinite Articles le la l' les un une des

Nouns and articles: Masculine Singular Feminine Singular Masculine or Feminine Singular Before a Vowel or Silent “H” Plurals (Masculine or Feminine) Definite Articles Indefinite Articles le la l' les un une des With the definite article, we must have LIAISON if the noun begins with a vowel or a silent “h.” This means that we remove the “e” in “le” or “a” in “la” and replace the vowel with an apostrophe. We do this to make the article and noun combination sound better.

Feuille de sortie – Exit Slip Nouns and articles: Feuille de sortie – Exit Slip Answer These Questions In Your Own Words… What is an indefinite article? What is a definite article? Why is French liaison so important?  

Examples of liaison of French articles and nouns: Nouns and articles: Examples of liaison of French articles and nouns: l’ami – the friend (m) l’amie – the friend (f) l’élève – the student (m/f) l’artiste (m/f) l’homme – the man l’hôtel (m) We don’t need the l’ when a noun is plural (les amis, les artistes) and we don’t need liaison with un and une because these articles end in a consonant sound. (The “s” in les makes a “z” sound when followed by a vowel.)  

le, la, l’ ou les? un, une ou des? 1. _____ café 1. _____ bureau Essayez! Select the correct article for each noun. le, la, l’ ou les? un, une ou des? 1. _____ café 1. _____ bureau 2. _____ bibliothèque 2. _____ différence 3. _____ acteur 3. _____ objet 4. _____ amie 4. _____ amis 5. _____ problèmes 5. _____ amies 6. _____ lycée 6. _____ université 7. _____ examens 7. _____ ordinateur 8. _____ littérature 8. _____ tableaux le un 15

If the term is singular, make it plural and if it is plural, make it singular. 1. l’actrice ____________________________ 8. les bibliothèques ___________________________ 2. les lycées ____________________________ 9. les acteurs ____________________________ 3. les différences ____________________________ 10. l’ami ____________________________ 4. le bureau ____________________________ 11. l’université ____________________________ 5. la chose ____________________________ 12. les tableaux ____________________________ 6. le café ____________________________ 13. le problème ____________________________ 7. les librairies ____________________________ 14. les amies ____________________________ © 2015 by Vista Higher Learning, Inc. All rights reserved. 16

1.__________________ 8. __________________ 2.__________________ 9. __________________ 3.__________________ 10. __________________ 4.__________________ 11. __________________ 5.__________________ 12. __________________ 6.__________________ 13. __________________ 7.__________________ 14. __________________ © 2015 by Vista Higher Learning, Inc. All rights reserved.