Articles 1 (AQA GCSE French): Revision Notes
Articles 1
Understanding how to use French articles is essential for proper French grammar. This topic covers the words for 'the' and 'a/some' in French, which change depending on the gender and number of the noun they accompany.
Understanding gender in French
In French, every noun has a gender - it's either masculine or feminine. This isn't always logical, so you need to learn the gender along with each new word. People, places, and things are classified as either masculine (abbreviated as 'm') or feminine (abbreviated as 'f').
Critical Rule: The articles change depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, and whether it's singular or plural. You must learn each noun's gender when you learn the word itself.
Here's how the article system works:
| Singular | Plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | |
| The | le | la | les | les |
| A/Some | un | une | des | des |
Worked Example: Using Articles with Different Genders
- le livre (the book) - masculine singular
- la table (the table) - feminine singular
- les livres (the books) - plural
- un livre (a book) - masculine singular
- une table (a table) - feminine singular
- des livres (some books) - plural
Forming plurals
Most French nouns form their plural by adding an 's' at the end, though this 's' is not pronounced when speaking. For example, 'le chien' (the dog) becomes 'les chiens' (the dogs).
However, there are some special patterns to remember:
Nouns with special plural endings:
- Words ending in -ail change to -aux: travail → travaux (works)
- Words ending in -al change to -aux: animal → animaux (animals)
- Words ending in -eau change to -eaux: bureau → bureaux (offices)
- Words ending in -eu change to -eux: jeu → jeux (games)
Nouns that don't change:
- Words already ending in -x, -z, or -s stay the same in plural
- Examples: un dos/deux dos (one back/two backs), un nez/deux nez (one nose/two noses)
Special cases with vowels
Essential Rule for Vowels: When a noun begins with a vowel or silent 'h', both 'le' and 'la' become 'l'' (with an apostrophe):
- l'hôpital (the hospital) - masculine
- l'église (the church) - feminine
Tips for recognising gender
While there's no foolproof way to know a noun's gender without learning it, here are some helpful patterns to guide you:
Masculine nouns often include:
Common Masculine Categories:
- Male people: l'homme (the man)
- Male animals: le chien (the dog)
- Days of the week: le lundi (Monday)
- Months: juillet (July)
- Seasons: l'été (the summer)
Common masculine endings:
- -age: le village (the village)
- -er: le cahier (the exercise book)
- -eau: le bureau (the office) - except eau (water) which is feminine
Feminine nouns often include:
Common Feminine Categories:
- Female people: la fille (the girl)
- Female animals: la chienne (the female dog)
- Countries ending in -e: la France
Common feminine endings:
- -e: la voiture (the car)
- -ée: une entrée (a starter/an entrance)
- -sion or -tion: une émission (a programme), la destination (the destination)
- -té: la quantité (the quantity), une identité (an identity)
Creating feminine nouns
Sometimes you can transform a masculine noun into its feminine equivalent:
Common Transformation Patterns:
- Adding -e: un ami → une amie (friend)
- No change if already ending in -e: un élève → une élève (pupil)
- Changing -eur to -rice or -euse: un acteur → une actrice (actor/actress), un chanteur → une chanteuse (singer)
- Changing -en to -enne: un Canadien → une Canadienne (Canadian)
Useful vocabulary
| French | English | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| le livre | the book | masculine |
| la table | the table | feminine |
| les chiens | the dogs | plural |
| un garçon | a boy | masculine |
| une mère | a mother | feminine |
| des étudiants | some students | plural |
| l'Afrique | Africa | feminine |
| la France | France | feminine |
| une décision | a decision | feminine |
| le père | the father | masculine |
| le visage | the face | masculine |
| la plage | the beach | feminine |
Translation practice
Worked Example: Translation Practice
French to English:
- Le garçon mange une pomme. → The boy eats an apple.
- Les étudiants visitent la France. → The students visit France.
English to French:
- The mother reads a book. → La mère lit un livre.
- The dogs play on the beach. → Les chiens jouent sur la plage.
Key Points to Remember:
- Every French noun is either masculine or feminine - learn the gender with each new word
- Articles change based on gender and number: le/la (singular), les (plural), un/une (singular), des (plural)
- Most plurals add -s, but watch out for special endings like -aux and -eux
- Use l' instead of 'le' or 'la' before vowels or silent 'h'
- Look for patterns in word endings to help guess gender, but always check when learning new vocabulary