Articles in French: le, un and the partitive du, de la, des
Last updated 28 October 2026
In English you can say "I want bread" with no article at all. French nearly always needs one. A noun is almost never left bare, so learning the three families of articles is one of the first big steps in French grammar.
The three families
| Family | Masculine | Feminine | Before a vowel | Plural | Idea |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Definite | le | la | l' | les | the (a specific thing) |
| Indefinite | un | une | un, une | des | a, an, some (one of several) |
| Partitive | du | de la | de l' | des | some (an amount of something) |
Each noun has a gender, and the article has to match it. Learn the article together with the noun: le fromage, la soupe, l'eau, les légumes.
Definite: the specific thing, and general likes
Le, la, l' and les point to something known: Passe-moi le sel (pass me the salt). French also uses them for general statements and for likes and dislikes, where English leaves the article out.
- J'aime le café. I like coffee.
- Elle déteste les épinards. She hates spinach.
- La vie est belle. Life is beautiful.
- Les Français adorent le fromage. French people love cheese.
Indefinite: one or several, countable
Un and une mean "a" or "one". Des is the plural, and it often corresponds to "some" or to nothing in English.
- J'ai un frère et une sœur. I have a brother and a sister.
- Il y a des fraises dans le frigo. There are strawberries in the fridge.
- Elle cherche un appartement. She is looking for an apartment.
- Nous avons des amis à Lyon. We have friends in Lyon.
Partitive: an amount of something
The partitive article is made from de and the definite article: de + le = du, de + la = de la, de + l' = de l'. It refers to an undefined amount of something you cannot count one by one, such as food, drink and abstract ideas.
- Je voudrais du pain. I would like some bread.
- Tu veux de la salade ? Do you want some salad?
- Il boit de l'eau. He is drinking water.
- Nous avons de la chance. We are lucky.
- Elle fait du sport. She plays sport.
Du pain does not mean "of the bread". It means "some bread, an amount of bread". The de inside it is part of the article and does not translate separately.
For the plural, French uses des for both countable things and uncountable ones: des pâtes (pasta), des pommes.
After a negative: de, not du
After a negative expression such as ne ... pas, an indefinite or partitive article usually becomes de (or d' before a vowel). It stands for "none" or "no", so the specific amount no longer matters.
| Positive | Negative |
|---|---|
| Je mange du pain. | Je ne mange pas de pain. |
| Elle a une voiture. | Elle n'a pas de voiture. |
| Nous avons des enfants. | Nous n'avons pas d'enfants. |
| Il y a de la glace. | Il n'y a pas de glace. |
Two exceptions are worth knowing. The rule does not apply after être: Ce n'est pas un problème, ce ne sont pas des mensonges. It also does not apply when the article really means "one" in a contrast: Je n'ai pas un frère, j'en ai trois (I do not have one brother, I have three). The definite article never changes: Je n'aime pas le café.
Quantities: de, with no article
After a word of quantity, French uses de alone.
- Un kilo de pommes, s'il vous plaît. A kilo of apples, please.
- Beaucoup de gens parlent français. Many people speak French.
- Trop de bruit. Too much noise.
- Un peu de lait ? A little milk?
- Une bouteille d'eau. A bottle of water.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the article out: Je voudrais pain should be Je voudrais du pain.
- Keeping du after a negative: Je ne veux pas du lait should be Je ne veux pas de lait.
- Using le where English has no article for a general like: J'aime fromage should be J'aime le fromage.
- Using du after a quantity word: beaucoup du pain should be beaucoup de pain.
Practice
Je voudrais ___ eau, s'il vous plaît.
These articles show up constantly when you order at a restaurant in French.
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