J'ai un sac.
English: I have a bag.
- Language
- French
- Level
- A0
- Unit
- Pronoms, articles et mots de référence
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Articles are small function words before nouns. In French, they show gender and number, and signal if a noun is general or specific.
When to use it
Use un/une for one non-specific item and le/la/les for a known or specific item.
Key forms
- un/une + singular noun
- le/la + singular specific noun
- les + plural noun
Examples
Elle est une artiste.
English: She is an artist.
Le sac est sur la table.
English: The bag is on the table.
Il veut un billet.
English: He wants a ticket.
Tips
- Choose un for masculine, une for feminine nouns.
- At beginner level, practice with common nouns first.
- Articles are frequent and important for natural French.
Exceptions and edge cases
- Some nouns appear without articles in fixed expressions: aller à l'école, être à la maison.