This cheat sheet covers the main French articles and liaison patterns that students need for reading, writing, and speaking accurately. Articles show whether a noun is specific, general, countable, or an unspecified amount. Liaisons help spoken French sound natural by linking certain final consonants to the next vowel sound.
A clear reference helps students choose the right form quickly and avoid common pronunciation errors.
Key Facts
- Definite articles mean the and are le for masculine singular, la for feminine singular, l' before a vowel or silent h, and les for plural.
- Indefinite articles mean a, an, or some and are un for masculine singular, une for feminine singular, and des for plural.
- Partitive articles mean some or any of an unspecified amount and are du for masculine singular, de la for feminine singular, de l' before a vowel or silent h, and des for plural.
- The contraction à + le becomes au, à + les becomes aux, but à la and à l' do not contract.
- The contraction de + le becomes du, de + les becomes des, but de la and de l' do not contract.
- After most negative expressions, un, une, des, du, de la, and de l' usually change to de or d', as in Je n'ai pas de stylo.
- A liaison happens when a normally silent final consonant is pronounced before a following vowel sound, as in les amis pronounced lez amis.
- Common liaison consonant sounds include s and x pronounced z, d pronounced t, and final n often linking with its nasal sound.
Vocabulary
- Definite article
- A word meaning the that points to a specific noun, such as le, la, l', or les.
- Indefinite article
- A word meaning a, an, or some that introduces a nonspecific noun, such as un, une, or des.
- Partitive article
- A word used for an unspecified amount of something, such as du pain or de l'eau.
- Contraction
- A required combination of two words into one form, such as à + le becoming au.
- Liaison
- The pronunciation of a normally silent final consonant before a word that begins with a vowel sound.
- Silent h
- A French h that acts like a vowel for elision and liaison, as in l'homme.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using le or la before a vowel is wrong because French uses l' before a vowel sound or silent h, as in l'école and l'homme.
- Writing à le or de les is wrong because these forms must contract to au and des.
- Keeping des or du after pas is often wrong because most negative sentences change these articles to de or d', as in Je ne veux pas de fromage.
- Pronouncing the s in les by itself is wrong in liaison because les amis is pronounced with a z sound between the words.
- Making liaison before every vowel is wrong because some liaisons are required, some are optional, and some are forbidden, especially after singular nouns.
Practice Questions
- 1 Choose the correct article: Je mange ___ pomme. Options: un, une, des.
- 2 Rewrite with the correct contraction: Il va à le cinéma.
- 3 Change to the negative: Nous avons des devoirs.
- 4 Explain why les élèves has a liaison but le garçon does not.