l'

Elided Definite Article L'

Level 1

In French, the singular articles le and la (the) become l' when the next word starts with a vowel sound. This is called elision.

How It Works

The elided article l' is the singular form of 'the' used to maintain a smooth flow of speech:

  • Mandatory Elision: Use l' before singular nouns or adjectives starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a mute H (h muet), such as l'homme.
  • The 'Y' and Number Exceptions: While 'y' is a vowel, it often acts as a consonant at the start of words (e.g., le yaourt, le yoga), which blocks elision. Elision is also forbidden before the numbers huit and onze, and the word oui.
  • The 'Aspirated H': It is not used before an 'aspirated H' (h aspiré), which acts like a consonant (e.g., le héros).
  • Gender Neutrality: Because l' replaces both le and la, it hides the noun's gender. You must check adjectives to see if the noun is masculine or feminine.
  • Pronoun Note: This same elision rule applies to direct object pronouns (le/la) when they appear before a verb starting with a vowel, such as je l'aime.

Examples (5)

  1. L'ami est ici.

    The friend is here.

    Word by Word: The friend is here.

    Since 'ami' starts with a vowel, 'le' becomes 'l'.'

  2. L'école est grande.

    The school is big.

    Word by Word: The school is big.

    Since 'école' starts with a vowel, 'la' becomes 'l'.'

  3. L'homme travaille.

    The man is working.

    Word by Word: The man works.

    The 'h' in 'homme' is mute, so elision is required.

  4. J'aime l'orange.

    I like the orange.

    Word by Word: I like the orange.

    Elision occurs even when the article is in the middle of a sentence.

  5. L'ancien hôtel.

    The old hotel.

    Word by Word: The old hotel.

    Elision happens before adjectives too, if they start with a vowel.

Common Mistakes

  • Failing to elide before a vowel or mute H.

    le ami / la école / le hôtel
    l'ami / l'école / l'hôtel

    In French, you cannot have le or la followed by a vowel sound. It must be contracted to l'.

  • Eliding before 'onze', 'huit' or 'oui'.

    l'onze / l'huit / l'oui
    le onze / le huit / le oui

    Elision is not made before the numbers 'huit' and 'onze' or before the word 'oui'.

  • Forgetting the noun's gender because of l'.

    l'histoire est court
    l'histoire est courte

    Even though l' hides the gender, 'histoire' is feminine. Adjectives must still agree with the underlying gender of the noun.

How It Connects

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l'Level 1Elided Definite Article L'

Learn This First

To understand the elided definite article l', a learner must first be familiar with the standard definite articles (le and la) and the general French phonetic principle of elision, which prevents two vowel sounds from clashing.

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