Mastering French Nouns and Articles: A Comprehensive Guide
LESSON 1A.1 : NOUNS AND ARTICLES
Objectives
Upon completing this
lesson,
students will learn:
•
Gender and number of
words
•
The definite and
indefinite articles
CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 Mathew Paulson
https://www.flickr.com/photos/46837385@N03/6773801511
OVERVIEW
This chapter covers one of the most basic and important concepts in the
French language: the idea of number (singular, plural) and gender
(masculine, femenine). The rules you are going to learn apply not only to
people but also to things and places.
Masculin Fémenin
is, by the way, a movie by French director Jean-Luc
Goddard. You can watch the whole movie in Youtube.
Remember this:
Words, not things or people, are gendered.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE
The
definite article
in English is
THE
. It covers all cases. In
French, however, there is a definite article for masculine,
feminine, singular and plural noun:
Examples:
Le (le monsieur=the gentleman)
LE
S
(Les messieur
s
)
masculine, plural
LA (La femme= the woman),
feminine, singular
LE
S
(Les femme
s
)
feminine, plural:
Usually, to form the feminine of a noun
you add E:
Étudiant (male student)…….étudiant
e
(female student)
Exceptions
(for now!): Acteur (m)…actri
ce
(f)/
chanteur (m)…chanteu
se
(f)
(singer)
APOSTROPHES
Notice that when a noun, masculine or feminine, begins
with a vowel you
replace the e, o, or a
in the article for an
apostrophe.
Example: Le avion (incorrect)……L’avion (correct)
Other examples: L’ami…L’amie
l’étudiant….l’étudiante
No changes
with plural nouns: Les amies/ Les messieurs
Let’s practice…
Add the definite article (le, la,les) to the following nouns:
(
m
=masculine/
f
=feminine)
1. ______café (m)
2. ______ami (m)
3. ______étudiante (f)
4._______acteur (m)
5. _______objects
6. _______bureau (m)
7. _______chose (m)
Answers: 1. le café 2. l’ami 3. l
étudiante 4. l’acteur 5. les objects
6. le bureau 7. la chose.
Click here
to
Listen to the pronunciation of the answers
The indefinite article
The
Indefinite article, a, an
in English, is:
Un
(singular, masculine),
Une
(singular feminine)
Des
(some) plural, masculine and feminine.
In English you say:
I have friends/ There are some cities…
In French you
always
need the article
des:
J’ai
des
amis/ Il y a
des
villes…
Notice the expression C’EST= It is/ CE SONT= They are
Example: C’est un cahier (singular) It’s a notebook
Ce
sont des
cahiers (plural)
Notice: Plural of words ending in AU and L
add
X
Examples: Un or le bateau:
Des
or
les
batea
ux
(boat)
animal: animaux
général: généraux
Yes , the plural of words can be irregular too.
Don’t forget, plural of un/une is DES
AND MORE PRACTICE…
Write the correct
definite article
before each noun.
1. ______bibliothèque
7. _____chose
2. _______chanteur
8. _____café
3. _______amis
9. _____bureaux
4. _______sociologie
10. ____petit ami
5. _______examen
11. ____faculté
6. _______ordinateurs
12. ____objects
Answers:
1)la 2) le 3)les 4)la 5) l’ 6) les 7) la 8)le 9) les
10) le 11) la 12) les
3.
Singulier ou pluriel?
Give the plural form of each singular noun and
article and the singular form of each plural noun and article. Use
definite articles
in the first column and
indefinite articles
in the
second.
1. l’étudiant__________________ 7. des
étudiants____________________
2. Les amies__________________ 8. Un lyc
ée_________________________
3. La librairie__________________ 9. une chanteuse____________________
4. Les caf
és________________10. des choses______________________
5. Le bureau__________________ 11. un animal_______________________
6. Les examens________________ 12. un instrument___________________
Answers:
1. les étudiants 2. l’amie 3. les librairies 4. le café 5. les bureaux 6. l’examen
7. une étudiante 8. des lycées 9. des chanteuses 10. une chose
11. des animaux 12. des instruments
Roger Celis
Dive into the fundamental concepts of gender and number in French nouns, along with the usage of definite and indefinite articles. Learn the rules, exceptions, and practice exercises to enhance your understanding and fluency in the language.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
LESSON 1A.1 : NOUNS AND ARTICLES Objectives Upon completing this lesson, students will learn: Gender and number of words The definite and indefinite articles CC-BY-NC-ND 2.0 Mathew Paulson https://www.flickr.com/photos/46837385@N03/6773801511
OVERVIEW This chapter covers one of the most basic and important concepts in the French language: the idea of number (singular, plural) and gender (masculine, femenine). The rules you are going to learn apply not only to people but also to things and places. Masculin F menin is, by the way, a movie by French director Jean-Luc Goddard. You can watch the whole movie in Youtube.
Remember this: Words, not things or people, are gendered.
THE DEFINITE ARTICLE The definite article in English is THE. It covers all cases. In French, however, there is a definite article for masculine, feminine, singular and plural noun: Examples: Le (le monsieur=the gentleman) LES (Les messieurs) masculine, plural LA (La femme= the woman), feminine, singular LES (Les femmes) feminine, plural: Usually, to form the feminine of a noun you add E: tudiant (male student) . tudiante (female student) Exceptions (for now!): Acteur (m) actrice (f)/ chanteur (m) chanteuse (f) (singer)
APOSTROPHES Notice that when a noun, masculine or feminine, begins with a vowel you replace the e, o, or a in the article for an apostrophe. Example: Le avion (incorrect) L avion (correct) Other examples: L ami L amie l tudiant .l tudiante No changes with plural nouns: Les amies/ Les messieurs
Lets practice Add the definite article (le, la,les) to the following nouns: (m=masculine/ f=feminine) 1. ______caf (m) 2. ______ami (m) 3. ______ tudiante (f) 4._______acteur (m) 5. _______objects 6. _______bureau (m) 7. _______chose (m) Answers: 1. le caf 2. l ami 3. l tudiante 4. l acteur 5. les objects 6. le bureau 7. la chose. Click here to Listen to the pronunciation of the answers
The indefinite article TheIndefinite article, a, an in English, is: Un (singular, masculine), Une (singular feminine) Des (some) plural, masculine and feminine. In English you say: I have friends/ There are some cities In French you always need the article des: J aides amis/ Il y a des villes
Notice the expression CEST= It is/ CE SONT= They are Example: C estun cahier (singular) It s a notebook Ce sont des cahiers (plural) Notice: Plural of words ending in AU and L add X Examples: Un or le bateau: Des or les bateaux (boat) animal: animaux g n ral: g n raux Yes , the plural of words can be irregular too. Don t forget, plural of un/une is DES
AND MORE PRACTICE Write the correct definite article before each noun. 1. ______biblioth que 2. _______chanteur 3. _______amis 4. _______sociologie 5. _______examen 6. _______ordinateurs 8. _____caf 9. _____bureaux 10. ____petit ami 11. ____facult 12. ____objects 7. _____chose Answers: 1)la 2) le 3)les 4)la 5) l 6) les 7) la 8)le 9) les 10) le 11) la 12) les
3. Singulier ou pluriel? Give the plural form of each singular noun and article and the singular form of each plural noun and article. Use definite articles in the first column and indefinite articles in the second. 1. l tudiant__________________ 7. des tudiants____________________ 2. Les amies__________________ 8. Un lyc e_________________________ 3. La librairie__________________ 9. une chanteuse____________________ 4. Les caf s________________10. des choses______________________ 5. Le bureau__________________ 11. un animal_______________________ 6. Les examens________________ 12. un instrument___________________ Answers: 1. les tudiants 2. l amie 3. les librairies 4. le caf 5. les bureaux 6. l examen 7. une tudiante 8. des lyc es 9. des chanteuses 10. une chose 11. des animaux 12. des instruments Roger Celis
