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Definite Articles: le, la, les

FoundationHigherAQA

Revise Definite Articles: le, la, les for GCSE French with this free worksheet and full mark scheme — Foundation and Higher exam-style practice with worked answers for AQA GCSE French (8652). The definite article agrees with the noun and shortens to l' before a vowel or silent h.

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These worksheets and mark schemes are original, written for Virtus Academy and checked against the current AQA specification. Every worksheet comes with a full mark scheme.

Foundation

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Higher

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Topic overview

The definite article means the, and it has four forms: le for masculine singular, la for feminine singular, l' before a vowel or silent h, and les for all plurals.

L' is used regardless of gender when the next word begins with a vowel sound, so l'ami and l'amie look identical. This is why the gender must be learned separately — the article gives no clue.

French uses the definite article far more than English. It appears with general statements, so j'aime le chocolat means I like chocolate, not I like the chocolate. It appears with languages, school subjects, countries and abstract nouns. Omitting it because English would omit it is one of the most frequent errors at GCSE.

Revision notes

The four forms

Le: masculine singular. La: feminine singular. L': before a vowel or silent h. Les: all plurals.

L'ami and l'amie are spelled identically, so the article reveals nothing about gender in that position.

Used for general statements

J'aime le chocolat means I like chocolate in general.

English drops the article here but French keeps it. The same applies to les maths, le français, la musique — general likes and dislikes always take the article.

Other uses English omits

Languages: j'apprends le français. School subjects: j'étudie l'histoire.

Countries: la France est belle. Days for repeated events: le samedi means on Saturdays. Abstract nouns: la liberté. In each case English omits the article and French requires it.

Key points

  • Le is masculine singular.
  • La is feminine singular.
  • L' is used before a vowel or silent h.
  • Les is used for all plurals.
  • General statements need the article.
  • Languages and subjects take the article.

Worked examples

Example 1

Translate: I like music. [2 marks]

Working

J'aime la musiqueuse the definite article with the general noun
La is needed because musique is feminine and it is a general statementexplain the article choice

Example 2

Give the correct article for the word ami. [2 marks]

Working

l'amiuse l' before a vowel
L' is used regardless of gender when the next word begins with a vowel soundexplain the rule

Example 3

Explain why English speakers often omit the article in j'apprends le français. [2 marks]

Working

English says I am learning French with no articlestate the English form
but French requires the definite article with languages, so le must be includedstate the French requirement

Common mistakes

  • Omitting the article in general statements.

    J'aime chocolat is wrong; it must be j'aime le chocolat.

  • Using le or la before a vowel.

    Use l' instead: l'école, not la école.

  • Assuming l' shows the gender.

    It is used for both, so the gender must be known separately.

  • Dropping the article with languages and subjects.

    French keeps it where English drops it.

Exam tips

  • Use l' before any vowel sound.
  • Keep the article in general statements.
  • Include it with languages, subjects and countries.
  • Learn the gender separately when l' is used.

Key terms

Definite article
Le, la, l' or les, meaning the.
Elision
Shortening le or la to l' before a vowel.
General statement
A statement about something in general, needing the article.
Silent h
An h that behaves like a vowel, taking l'.

Related topics

Written and reviewed against the current AQA specification. Spotted an error? Let us know.