Indefinite Articles

Definition: The indefinite article, un/une, is used exactly like the English indefinite article - a/an. It is used when referring to a single instance that is a part of a group that consists of many entities.
For example 'a book' is a single instance of the 'books' group which consists of everything that is called a book.

Examples:

un oiseau a bird
un acteur an actor
une actrice an actress
une blatte a cockroach

Plural Indefinite Articles

The plural indefinite article, des, is used when referring to more than a single entity. It is not used, however, when general statements are made about a group - statements that are meant to refer to all the entities that make up that group. In English, note that in the same situation no article is placed before the noun.

Je vois des blattes partout.
I see cockroaches everywhere.

Mon ami vend des fleurs dans le metro.
My friend sells flowers in the subway.

Des oiseaux mangent le fruit de ces arbres.
Birds eat the fruit of these trees.

Des passants ont vu l'accident.
People who were passing by saw the accident.


Back to:
French Articles
French Grammar