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Contractions: au, aux, du, des

FoundationHigherAQA

Learn Contractions: au, aux, du, des 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). À and de contract with the definite article to give au, aux, du and des.

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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

WorksheetFoundation · PDFMark SchemeFoundation · PDF

Higher

WorksheetHigher · PDFMark SchemeHigher · PDF

Topic overview

When à or de meets le or les, the two words contract into a single word — and this is compulsory, not optional.

À plus le becomes au. À plus les becomes aux. De plus le becomes du. De plus les becomes des. So je vais au cinéma, not je vais à le cinéma.

There is no contraction with la or l'. Je vais à la piscine and je viens de l'école both keep their two words. The rule is easy to state but easy to forget in writing, and à le or de le appearing in a sentence is always an error.

Revision notes

The four contractions

À + le = au. À + les = aux. De + le = du. De + les = des.

Je vais au cinéma. Je parle aux élèves. Je viens du parc. C'est la voiture des voisins.

No contraction with la or l'

À la piscine, à l'école, de la maison, de l'hôtel.

Only le and les contract. This means half the time nothing changes, which is why the contraction is easy to forget in the other half.

It is compulsory

À le and de le are never correct in written French.

If you find either in your writing, it must be contracted. This is one of the most mechanical rules in the language and therefore one of the easiest marks to secure.

Key points

  • À plus le becomes au.
  • À plus les becomes aux.
  • De plus le becomes du.
  • De plus les becomes des.
  • There is no contraction with la or l'.
  • The contraction is compulsory.

Worked examples

Example 1

Contract: Je vais à le cinéma. [2 marks]

Working

Je vais au cinémacontract à and le into au
À le is never correct and must always be contractedexplain the rule

Example 2

Contract: C'est la voiture de les voisins. [2 marks]

Working

C'est la voiture des voisinscontract de and les into des
De les always contracts to desexplain the rule

Example 3

Explain why je vais à la piscine does not contract. [2 marks]

Working

Only le and les contract with à and destate the rule
La and l' stay as separate words, so à la piscine is correct as it standsexplain the exception

Common mistakes

  • Writing à le or de le.

    They must always be contracted.

  • Contracting with la.

    À la piscine stays as two words.

  • Contracting with l'.

    De l'école stays as it is.

  • Confusing des the contraction with des the article.

    They look identical but come from different rules.

Exam tips

  • Check every à and de for a following le or les.
  • Leave la and l' unchanged.
  • Treat the contraction as compulsory.
  • Scan your writing for à le and de le.

Key terms

Contraction
Two words joining into one, as à le becomes au.
Au
The contraction of à and le.
Du
The contraction of de and le.
Aux
The contraction of à and les.

Related topics

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