French II – Articles Nouns Pronouns - Quick Guides

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Study GuideFrench II–Articles Nouns Pronouns1.Basic ArticlesIt's easy to overlook the importance of little articles—but don't make that mistake! Take some time toreview the basics.The French articlesArticles—small words typically classified as adjectives—generally (but not always) indicate the genderand number of the noun or pronoun that follows. For this reason, articles are often referred to as“noun markers.” The table below shows the articles that are used in French.Using articlesThe definite article (le, la, l', les) is used with nouns in a general sense while the partitive is used toexpress some or part of something:•Nous aimons le pain.(We love bread.)•Donnez‐nous du gâteau.(Give us some cake.)

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Study GuideUseunorunewhen speaking about one portion or serving and use an adverb or noun of quantity orthe partitive (de, du, de la, de l', des) to express amounts:•Un pain, s'il vous plaît.(A bread, please.)•Une tranche de pain, s'il vous plaît.(A slice of bread, please.)•Du pain, s'il vous plaît.(Some bread, please.)Usece(cet) orcetteto express “this” or “that” item and usecesto express “these” or “those.” Use thetags‐ci(here) or‐là(there) to be even more specific:•Je préfère ce pain‐ci.(I preferthisbread.)•Donnez‐moi ces pains‐là.(Give methosebreads.)Contractions with articlesThe following prepositions contract with articles in French:Key Takeaway•Articlesare small words used before nouns to indicategender and number.

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Study Guide•Definite articles(le, la, l’, les) mean“the.”•Indefinite articles(un, une, des) mean“a, an, or some.”•Partitive articles(du, de la, de l’, des) express“some” or an unspecified amount.•Demonstrative articles(ce, cet, cette, ces) mean“this, that, these, those.”•L’is used instead ofle or la before a vowel.•Ce becomes cet before a vowelsound.•Articles help indicate whether a noun ismasculine, feminine, singular, or plural.•Someprepositions combine with articlesto form contractions.•Common contractions includeà + le = au,à + les = aux,de + le = du,de + les = des.2.Basic Nouns and Nouns of QuantityAll French nouns have a number (singular or plural) and a gender (masculine or feminine). Singulararticles help you to identify the gender of nouns and should be learned with the nouns they modify.Although the gender of some nouns is quite obvious (thosethat refer to males are masculine, whilethose that refer to females are feminine), the gender of other nouns can be tricky and must bememorized.The following list goes into more detail about the number and gender of nouns:Some noun endings give you a hint as to gender:•Masculine endings include‐acle,‐age,‐al,‐eau,‐et,‐ier,‐isme,and‐ment.•Feminine endings include‐ade,‐ale,‐ance,‐ence,‐ette,‐ie,‐ique,‐oire,‐sion,and‐tion.Some nouns can be either masculine or feminine:•artiste•camarade•collègue•concierge

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Study Guide•élève•enfant•malade•secrétaire•touristeSome nouns can be changed to the feminine by simply adding an‐e:•un cousin → une cousine•un ami → une amieSome masculine nouns (usually referring to professions) have a corresponding feminineending:

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Study GuideSome words are always masculine or feminine no matter to whom they are referring:Most French nouns are made plural by adding an unpronounced‐sto the singular form.The letterss, x,andzare all used to make plurals in French. If a singular noun ends in any ofthese letters, its plural form remains unchanged:•le fils → les fils•la voix → les voix•le nez → les nezNouns ending in‐eauadd‐xto form the plural:•le château → les châteauxNouns ending in‐euadd‐xto form the plural, except thatle pneu(tire) becomesles pneus(tires):•le cheveu → les cheveuxNouns ending in‐alchange‐alto‐aux,except forle bal(which becomesles bals),le festival(which becomesles festivals), andle récital(which becomes les récitals):

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Study Guide•l'animal → les animauxSome nouns ending in‐ouadd‐xto form the plural:•le bijou → les bijouxMost compound nouns (nouns made up of two nouns that are usually joined by a hyphen) donot change in the plural.Remember, however, to change their respective articles:•les hors‐d'oeuvreNote the following irregularities:•les grands‐mères•les grands‐pères•les grands‐parentsSome French words are always plural:•les ciseaux(scissors)•les gens(people)•les lunettes(glasses)•les vacances(vacation)•les mathématiquesFrench last names do not add an‐sin the plural:•Les DupontNouns that express quantity are followed by the prepositionde(d'before a vowel) before the nounthat follows. For example:•Je vais acheter une douzained'oeufs. (I'm going to buy a dozen eggs.)•Donnez‐moi un verredelait. (Give me a glass of milk.)High‐frequency nouns of quantity include:

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Study Guide•une boûte(a box, a can)•une bouteille(a bottle)•une douzaine•une livre(a pound)•un morceau(a piece)•une paire•un panier(a basket)•un paquet(a package)•un sac(a bag)•une tasse(a cup)•une tranche(a slice)•un verre(a glass)Key Takeaway•French nouns havegender (masculine or feminine)andnumber (singular or plural).•Thearticle before a noun helps identify its gender(un, une, le, la).•Some masculine nouns form feminine byadding–e(ex:ami → amie).•Certain masculine endings change to feminine forms (ex:-teur →-trice,-eur →-euse).•Some nouns arealways masculine or always feminineregardless of the person (ex:unmédecin,une victime).•Certain nouns can beeither masculine or feminine(ex:artiste, élève, secrétaire).•Most French nouns form plurals byadding–s, which is usually not pronounced.•Nouns ending in-eau or-eu often add–xin the plural (ex:château → châteaux).•Nouns expressing quantity are followed byde (or d’ before a vowel).•Common quantity nouns includeune bouteille (bottle), une douzaine (dozen), un verre(glass), une tranche (slice).

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