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Transcript of 1 of 17 © Boardworks Ltd 2006 This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash....
1 of 17 © Boardworks Ltd 2006
This icon indicates the slide contains activities created in Flash. These activities are not editable.
For more detailed instructions, see the User Guide presentation.
Articles
This icon indicates that the slide contains sound.
© Boardworks Ltd 20062 of 17
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 1
How do I say the in French?
How do I say the in French?
In French, there are four words for the : le, la, l’ and les.
In French, there are four words for the : le, la, l’ and les.
Four words! So how do you know which one to use ?
Four words! So how do you know which one to use ?
It depends whether the thing you are describing is masculine, feminine, begins with a vowel or plural.
It depends whether the thing you are describing is masculine, feminine, begins with a vowel or plural.
© Boardworks Ltd 20063 of 17
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 2
If the noun is masculine, you use the word ‘le’:
E.g. the hat = le chapeau
If the word is feminine, you use the word ‘la’:
E.g. the skirt = la jupe
© Boardworks Ltd 20064 of 17
If a word begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or an h then you can’t use le or la in front of it, as this makes it quite hard to say.
When you say it,you run the two words together:lor-din-at-eur
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 3
Instead, you put l’ in front of it, whether it is masculine or feminine.
E.g. L’ordinateur.
© Boardworks Ltd 20065 of 17
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 4
If you want to talk about more than one thing, you use the word ‘les’. You use les, whether the word is masculine or feminine.
E.g. les monstres
E.g. J’aime les gâteaux.
You could translate this sentence as:I like the cakes or just I like cakes.
In English, you can leave out the word the, and the sentence means something slightly different, but in French you cannot leave it out. Without it, the sentence doesn’t make sense.
© Boardworks Ltd 20066 of 17
When to use the definite article
Where in English we use the.E.g. Le livre est sur la table. = The book is on the table.
In French, le, la, l’ and les are used:
When talking about something in general terms.E.g. Les serpents sont dangereux. = Snakes are dangerous.
When expressing likes or dislikes.E.g. J’adore la chimie. = I love chemistry.
With names of countries, oceans, mountains, rivers etc.E.g. L’Angleterre = England; Les Alpes = The Alps
With time expressions or dates.E.g. L’été, je vais à la plage = In the summer I go to the beach;J’arrive le 12 mai = I arrive on the 12th May
© Boardworks Ltd 20067 of 17
Copy out the grid below, this time putting the correct word for the in front of each noun.
un styloun chienun anorakun ordinateurun livreun véloun garçonun oiseau
une maisonune tableune voitureune trousseune filleune glaceune boulangerieune règle
MA
SC
ULI
NE
FE
MIN
INE
Can you spot where to use l’ instead of le or la?
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 5
© Boardworks Ltd 20068 of 17
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 6 Réponses
le stylole chienl’anorak
l’ordinateurle livrele vélo
le garçonl’oiseau
la maisonla table
la voiturela trousse
la fillela glace
la boulangeriela règle
MASCULINE FEMININE
= the house= the table= the car
= the pencil case = the girl
= the ice-cream= the bakery= the ruler
the pen =the dog =
the anorak =the computer =
the book =the bicycle =
the boy =the bird =
© Boardworks Ltd 20069 of 17
The definite article – le, la, l’ and les 7
© Boardworks Ltd 200610 of 17
The partitive article 1
© Boardworks Ltd 200611 of 17
The partitive article 2
When you talk about food, you will often want to say some. For example, ‘I’d like some milk or some biscuits’.
To say some or any in French, you use du, de la , de l’ or des.
de le du+
de les des+
du lait – some milk
le lait–the milk
des biscuits – some biscuits
les biscuits –the biscuits
© Boardworks Ltd 200612 of 17
The partitive article 3
If the noun is masculine, you use ‘du’:
E.g. some butter = du beurre
If the noun is feminine, you use ‘de la’:
E.g. some meat = de la viande
© Boardworks Ltd 200613 of 17
The partitive article 4
With masculine or feminine nouns
starting with a vowel (or a silent h),
use de l’:
E.g. some garlic = de l’ ail
With plural nouns, use des:
E.g. some apricots = des abricots
© Boardworks Ltd 200614 of 17
When to use the partitive article
Note that in English, we don’t always use the word some, but in French, du, de la, de l’ or des is always used:
Qu’est-ce que tu as acheté? Des fraises.What did you buy? (Some) Strawberries.
So the rule is:If you could say some in front of the noun in English, then you must use du / de la / de l’ or des in French!
J’ai de l’argent. I have (some) money.
Je mange de la soupe. I am eating (some) soup.
© Boardworks Ltd 200615 of 17
When not to use the partitive article
If you are talking about just one item, use un or une rather than du / de la / de l’ or des:
Qu’est-ce que tu as acheté? Une pomme.
What did you buy? An apple.
If you are making a negative sentence use:– de instead of du , de la or des– d’ instead of de l’.
After expressions of quantity use de or d’.
Je n’ai pas de chocolat. I don’t have any chocolate.
Un paquet de céréales. A packet of cereal.
© Boardworks Ltd 200616 of 17
The partitive article 5
© Boardworks Ltd 200617 of 17
The partitive article 6
