les

Definite Article Les (Plural)

Level 1

Les is the plural form of 'the'. It is used for all plural nouns, regardless of gender, and is also used for general statements (e.g., 'I like cats').

How It Works

The plural definite article les is a foundational part of French. Unlike the singular forms le and la, les does not change based on the gender of the noun.

1. Specific vs. General

  • Specific: Use it for things already mentioned or known. Les clés sont sur la table (The keys are on the table).
  • General: Use it for general concepts or categories. While English says 'Dogs are loyal,' French says Les chiens sont loyaux.

2. Preference Verbs
You must use les after verbs like aimer (to like), adorer (to love), préférer (to prefer), and détester (to hate) when talking about your general tastes.

3. Body Parts
French often uses les instead of possessive adjectives (like 'my' or 'your') when referring to body parts, especially with reflexive verbs. For example: Je me lave les mains (I wash my hands).

4. Pronunciation and Liaison
The 's' in les is usually silent. However, when the next word starts with a vowel or a 'silent h' (h muet), you must perform a liaison, making the 's' sound like a /z/: les amis (lay-zah-mee). Note: If a word starts with an 'aspirated h' (h aspiré), the liaison is forbidden: les héros (lay ay-roh).

5. Contractions
When les follows the prepositions à or de, it must contract into a single word:

Examples (4)

  1. Les enfants jouent dans le jardin.

    The children are playing in the garden.

    Word by Word: The children play in the garden.

    Here, 'les' refers to a specific group of children.

  2. J'aime les pommes rouges.

    I like red apples.

    Word by Word: I like the apples red.

    After the verb 'aimer', 'les' is used to express a general preference for apples.

  3. Où sont les clés de la voiture ?

    Where are the car keys?

    Word by Word: Where are the keys of the car?

    Specific keys that the speaker is looking for.

  4. Les oiseaux chantent le matin.

    Birds sing in the morning.

    Word by Word: The birds sing the morning.

    This demonstrates 'les' used for a general category (birds in general). Note the /z/ sound liaison between 'les' and 'oiseaux'.

Common Mistakes

  • Omitting the article in general statements.

    J'aime chats.
    J'aime les chats.

    In English, we often omit 'the' when speaking generally (I like cats). In French, you must include 'les'.

  • Reading 'des' as 'the'.

    Different MeaningJe mange des pommes.
    Je mange les pommes.

    With a verb like 'manger', 'des' is the indefinite article (des indefinite article) and means 'some', so 'Je mange des pommes' does not mean 'the apples'. For 'the apples', use 'les'. 'Des' means 'of the' only as the contraction of 'de + les' (des contraction) after a verb that takes 'de', as in 'Je parle des pommes'.

  • Performing a liaison with an 'aspirated h'.

    les héros [le.zeʁo]
    les héros [le.eʁo]

    While most words starting with 'h' allow a liaison, words starting with an 'aspirated h' (like 'héros' or 'haricots') block it. You should not pronounce the 's' in these cases.

How It Connects

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lesLevel 1Definite Article Les (Plural)

Learn This First

To learn the plural definite article 'les', you should first understand its singular counterparts 'le' and 'la'. Additionally, because the 's' in 'les' is pronounced specifically when followed by a vowel, familiarity with the rules of liaison is necessary for correct pronunciation.

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