French 1 / Unit 3: Nouns, Articles and Adjectives
3.4 Indefinite Articles
Notes
The indefinite article means "a / an / some".
| Masculin | Féminin | |
|---|---|---|
| singulier | un | une |
| pluriel | des | des |
- un cahier, une règle, des cahiers, des règles.
- Des (some) must be used in French even when English leaves out the word: J'ai des amis. (I have friends.)
- Un and une also mean "one": un livre = a book or one book.
- After a negative, un/une/des become de: Je n'ai pas de livre. (more in later units)
Practice
Which is correct?
École is feminine, so une.
Complete: « J'ai ___ amies à Paris. »
Amies is plural, so des.
What is the English meaning of « des crayons » ?
Des is plural, so "some pencils" or just "pencils".
Ready for more? Take the Unit 3 test.