#1. Indefinite articles (unknown noun)
Un (masculine sg) > j'ai une chienne - I have a dog
Une (feminine sg) > j'ai un chat - I have a cat
Des (plural) > il y a des oiseaux dehors - there are birds outside*
#2. Definite articles (known noun)
Le + consonant, L' + vowel (masc sg) > le dîner est servi - dinner is served
La + consonant, L' + vowel (fem sg) > la table est prête - the table is reay
Les (plural) > les invitées sont là - the (female) guests are here
#3. Partitive articles (portion of the noun, not all of it)
Du > je vais prendre du café - I'm going to get coffee
De la > je voudrais de la salade - I would like some salad
Des > le matin je mange des céréales - In the morning I eat cereals
*Des becomes De 1/ when there is an adjective before the noun > tu as de beaux yeux - you have got nice eyes or 2/ in negative sentences after avoir > je n’ai pas de chaussettes - I don’t have socks.
N.B. When attached to prepositions à or de, le and les become contracted articles: au (à + le), aux (à + les), du (de + le), des (de + les): au clair de la lune - in the moonlight.
Les déterminants possessifs
Mon, ton, son (masculine singular) - my, your, his > mon chat est blanc
Ma, ta, sa (feminine singular) - my, your, her* > sa chienne est noire
Mes, tes, ses (plural) - my, your, their > son lapin est gris
*When a feminine noun following a possessive determiner starts with a vowel, we use the masculine version > c'est mon amie - she's my friend.
Notre, votre, leur (singular) - our, your, their > notre chien est vieux
Nos, vos, leurs (plural) - our, your, their > leurs chats sont jeunes
N.B. French focuses on the gender of the property > c’est son chien - it's his/her male dog (there is no information given about the owner).
Les déterminants démonstratifs
Demonstrative determiners (from verb montrer - to show, point at) are used to point out the thing or person that is being talked about. They all start with the letter C (mnemonic: here's what I want you to "see").
Ce + consonant, c' + vowel (masc singular) - this > cet arbre est grand
Cette (fem singular) - this > cette maison est immense
Ces (plural) - these > ces fenêtres sont en bois
Les déterminants exclamatifs et interrogatifs
Quel (masculine singular) > quel est ce bruit ? - what is that noise?
Quelle (feminine singular) > quelle belle maison ! - what a beautiful house!
Quels (masculine plural) > quels drôles d'oiseaux ! - what peculiar people!
Quelles (feminine plural) > tu vas acheter quelles chaussures ? - which shoes are you getting?
NB. In front of a stative verb (être, rester, sembler...), those determiners become modifiers and therefore agree with the noun they are referring to > quelle était sa surprise quand je suis arrivée ! - what great was her surprise when I arrived!
Les déterminants indéfinis
Indefinite determiners are used when the object is vague or unknown, can come with another determiner (les quelques - the few) or be locutions formed by a quantity adverb and the preposition de. Some are invariable. They can express:
A non existent quantity: aucun-e - no(ne), pas de - no > Tu n'as fait aucun effort !
A quantity of one: chaque* - each, n'importe quel-le - any
A quantity slightly over two: un peu de - a little of, quelques - a few, plusieurs - several, certain-es - some, d'autres - some others (works with certains)
A large quantity: beaucoup de - a lot of, trop de - too much of, la plupart de - most of suffisamment de - enough of, tant de - so much, différent-es - many, divers-es - various, énormément de - a great amount of
Everything: tout, toute, tous, toutes > Tu as mangé tous les chocolats !
*Chaque is not very common except in à chaque fois (every time), one would typically use tous with a plural (tous les jours, not chaque jour).
N.B. It's always beaucoup de. Beaucoup des is sinful and punishable by death.
Les déterminants cardinaux numéraux
Cardinal determiners express a quantity and take the place of an article. They are invariable (can't agree in gender or number) except for one (un, une) + twenty and hundred that get an -s when there's no other number after (vingt, cent: cent-trois but deux cents) + thousand, million, billion that can be pluralised (millier, million, milliard)
L'article zéro (physically absent but theoretically present)
Je vis à Paris (works for cities and islands),
Je l'ai vu sur Facebook (brands),
Tu as rencontré Isabelle (first and last names)
Des livres pour enfants, des croquettes pour chats (categories),
Pierre qui roule n’amasse pas mousse (proverbs),
Hommes, femmes, enfants (enumeration),
Avoir faim, sans crainte, homme de loi (locutions),
Elle part vendredi (about something happening a particular day),
Appartement à vendre, sel de mer (signs, labels),
Céline Dion, reine du metgala (apposition)
Movie: La Jetée - Chris Marker, 1962 (inspo for Terry Gilliam's Twelve monkeys)
Other posts: is it les or des?
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