lo, la
Definite Articles Singular
Pick lo or la by the gender of the noun.
How It Works
The singular definite article has two forms.
| Article | Before | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| lo | a masculine noun | lo libre (the book), lo pan (the bread), lo cap (the head) |
| la | a feminine noun | la taula (the table), la femna (the woman), la man (the hand) |
The Occitan lo is not the French le: write lo libre.
Before a vowel the article becomes l', and after a, de or per the word lo merges with the preposition to give al, del and pel. Two later entries give the details.
After parlar (to speak), the name of a language has no article: Parli occitan.
Examples (4)
- lo libre
the book
Libre is masculine, so it takes lo.
- la taula
the table
Taula is feminine, so it takes la.
- Lo libre es sus la taula.
The book is on the table.
Each noun has the article of its gender.
- La femna manja lo pan.
The woman eats the bread.
La goes with femna and lo goes with pan.
Common Mistakes
Using the French article.
le librelo libreThe Occitan masculine article is lo.
Using lo with a feminine noun.
lo taulala taulaTaula is feminine, so it takes la.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The articles lo and la go with masculine and feminine nouns, so the overview of the two genders comes first.
Related Patterns
- los, lasDefinite Articles Plural
The plural of lo and la.
Level 1 - l'Elision of the Article
Lo and la become l' before a vowel.
Level 1 - un, unaIndefinite Articles
The indefinite article follows the same gender rule.
Level 1 - Gender of Nouns
How to learn the gender of each noun.
Level 1 - a + lo = alAl and Als
A merges with lo.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice lo, la in Bubblegum
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