12 - How to Say "a" in French (French Indefinite Articles)
Know how to say "a" or "an" in French? Listen to this lesson to learn the 3 French indefinite articles — and how to avoid a common French beginner mistake.
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Transcript
Intro: Welcome to the French Made Easy podcast, where I give you all the basics you need to speak French clearly and confidently. I'm your host, Mathilde, and I'm a French teacher, mumpreneur, and bread and cheese lover. Join me as I dive into all things French for beginners, and deliver to you bite-sized and easy-to-follow lessons every Tuesday. Let's get started, "on commence"!
Hi everyone, bonjour tout le monde! Welcome back! This is episode 12, numéro 12. Thanks for joining me here today. In this episode, you'll learn how to translate "a" or "an" in French. More precisely, you'll learn what the French indefinite articles are.
Please get your cheat sheet ready. Make sure you have it in front of you during the lesson; it will make things a lot easier for you to understand.
Ok. Are you ready? On y va. Let's go!
So. First, what are the indefinite articles?
As you may know, in English, the indefinite article is "a," and it changes to "an" before a noun starting with a vowel, right?
Now in French, the indefinite articles are "un," "une," and "des." Which one to use depends on whether the noun is masculine, feminine, or plural.
If you are a bit lost regarding this masculine and feminine thing, it's ok, but check out the previous podcast episode, where I explain a bit of the concept of gender in French.
Anyway, so how do we know which one to use?
"un" is used in front of a masculine noun.
For example, "a cat" is "un chat." 🐱 The word "cat" in French is "chat," and it is a masculine word. So I'm going to translate "a" as "un." "Un chat."
"une" is used in front of a feminine noun.
For example, "a mouse" is "une souris." 🐭 The word "mouse" in French is "souris," and it is a feminine word. So I'm going to translate "a" as "une." "Une souris."
"des" is used in front of plural nouns, regardless of their gender.
For example, "ducks" is "des canards." 🦆 The word "duck" in French is "canard." Here "canards" is masculine, but it's also plural. In English, you would hear the 'S,' but you don't hear the 'S' at the end of the word in French, so to let you know it's plural, I'm going to add "des" before "canards." "Des canards."
Now, there's a common mistake that I've seen with some of my students. Unlike English, the use of the indefinite article for plural nouns is generally compulsory. I say "generally," because French being French, there are some exceptions. But the rule applies in most situations, so the exceptions can be learned as your fluency increases.
So if I say to you, "There are ducks in the garden." Very unlikely. But seriously, there's no article here. In French, you need an article; So I'm NOT going to say "il y a canards dans le jardin" which is the literal translation. Non, non, non. I'm going to say: "il y a des canards dans le jardin." "There are ducks in the garden."
Ok. I hope this made sense. Now let's do a recap!
Use "un" in front of a masculine noun. "Un chat." (A cat.)
Use "une" in front of a feminine noun. "Une souris." (A mouse.)
Use "des" in front of plural nouns, regardless of their gender. "Des canards." (Ducks.)
Ok. Bien joué. Well done. 👏 You've tackled another grammar lesson!
And that brings us to the end of this episode, thank you so much for listening. Don't forget to go to your lesson's exercises by clicking the link in the episode's note. Make sure you hit subscribe, so you don't miss out on any new episodes. And if you are enjoying this podcast, I'd really appreciate a quick rating and review!
Merci beaucoup et à bientôt. 👋