Article pour des traducteurs: Le, La, Les: The French Definite Article in Context

Le, La, Les: The French Definite Article in Context

By Myriam Birch, M.A. (Oxon)

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An article is a word that is placed before a noun or adjective to indicate the type of reference being made to the noun. Articles can be definite (showing a reference to a specific person or thing) or indefinite (showing reference to any one person, place or thing out of a general group).

The definite article in English is made up of one word – ‘the’ – but in French, this is complicated by the fact that the definite article must change form to agree with the gender and number of the noun to which it refers:

Masculine	Le
Feminine	La
Plural	Les (the ‘-s’ is silent; pronounced like the ‘*le-’ sound in ‘let*’)

However, there are significant differences in the way the definite article is used in French and in English:

When generalizing or using abstract nouns, the definite article is used in French, whereas in English it is entirely omitted:
- Les plantes produisent de l’oxygène
  Plants produce oxygen
- Ils cherchent la gloire
  They seek glory
- La nourriture est chère dans ce pays
  Food is expensive in this country
When referring to parts of the body, especially if these are the object of the verb or used reflexively (meaning the originator of the action is also its receipt point) , the French can use the definite article and the owner of the body part is simply understood, whereas in English the possessive article is used as appropriate (my, her, his, their):
- Il s’est cassé le bras
  He has broken his arm
- Elle se lave les mains
  She is washing her hands
- Elle ferme les yeux
  He is closing his eyes
When referring to countries and regions the definite article is used in French but not in English:
- La France
  France
- L’Angleterre
  England
- Le Sussex
  Sussex
Note that the definite article in the singular masculine and feminine (le and la) is elided to l’ when used with nouns and adjectives beginning with a vowel or beginning with a silent ‘h’ (hence L’Angleterre and not La Angleterre).
The definite article is also used in French when referring to languages, unlike English:
- Le français
  French
- L’allemand
  German
- Le grec
  Greek
Note: in French, the name of the country (France) takes a capital letter, but the adjectival form (français) is lower case.

However, when used with the verb parler (to speak), this does not apply and no definite article precedes the language:
- Elle parle anglais
  She speaks English
  
  But (without the verb ‘parler’):
- Elle apprend l’anglais
  She is learning English

Conclusion

A French text will contain, on average, a much larger amount of definite articles than an English text, especially due to the obligatory omission of the definite article in English abstract and generic noun. The use of too few definite articles in French or too many in English can often betray a lack of fluency in either language.

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