Indefinite articles in French are un, une, and des. They correspond roughly to the English indefinite articles a or an, as well as the plural some. These articles are used to refer to non-specific nouns—something that is not unique or already known.
- un — used before masculine singular nouns (means “a” or “an”)
- une — used before feminine singular nouns (means “a” or “an”)
- des — used before plural nouns of either gender (means “some”)
Examples
- un chat — a cat (masculine singular)
- une pomme — an apple (feminine singular)
- des livres — some books (plural)
Note: In French, there is no indefinite article for plural that means exactly “a few”; des simply means some.
Usage Rules
- Use un for masculine singular nouns: un chien (a dog).
- Use une for feminine singular nouns: une table (a table).
- Use des for plural nouns of either gender: des enfants (some children).
- When a plural noun is preceded by an adjective, des often changes to de: des grands arbres → de grands arbres.
Summary
- un = a/an (masc. singular)
- une = a/an (fem. singular)
- des = some (plural)
- Use un/une for singular nouns and des for plural nouns.
- des can become de before a plural adjective.
Indefinite articles in French introduce non-specific nouns: "un" for masculine singular, "une" for feminine singular, and "des" for plurals meaning "some."
I see ___ cat in the garden.
Je vois un chat dans le jardin.
The noun 'chat' (cat) is masculine singular, so the correct indefinite article is 'un.' 'Une' is feminine, and 'des' is for plural nouns.
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
