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The definite article
How to say "the" in French
Most of us are familiar with the French word(s) for the long before we ever start learning the language — or at least we have a vague idea that it involves an L.
There are actually four words for the. (All involve an L.)
- Le
- La
- Les
- L'
Le goes in front of masculine nouns:
Le poivron
The capsicum / bell pepper
La goes in front of feminine nouns:
La banane
The banana
L' goes before a noun that starts with a vowel, regardless of its gender.
L'orange
The orange
Les goes in front of plural nouns, regardless of their gender. (Note that the S is silent unless it's in front of a word that starts with a vowel.)
Les pommes
The apples
Les aubergines
The aubergines / eggplants