French articles are the tiny words that sit in front of nouns-le, la, un, une, des, and their cousins. They look harmless, but if you’ve ever second-guessed whether it’s le chat or un chat, you already know they can mess with your flow.
This list rounds up around 25 essential forms, covering definite articles, indefinite articles, partitive articles, and the sneaky contracted shapes like du, au, and aux. Each entry gives you a straightforward meaning and a practical example sentence, so you can see exactly how the article behaves in real French-not just a dusty rule you’ll forget by tomorrow.
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Quick Quiz
Articles are tiny, but they’ll trip you up in every other sentence. The quick quiz below helps you spot which forms are still wobbly-no grades, just a friendly nudge.
Browse the Full List
| Word | Type | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| autobus | Noun | bus |
| cire | Noun | wax |
| coupure | Noun | cut |
| espionner | Verb | spy |
| fi | Other | fie |
| foin | Noun | hay |
| fourrure | Noun | fur |
| graisse | Noun | fat |
| hi | Other | hee |
| if | Noun | yew |
| lâ | Noun | laa |
| Léon | Noun | Leo |
| lessive | Noun | lye |
| MIA | Noun | PAM |
| na | Other | ner |
| PDG | Noun | CEO |
| pois | Noun | pea |
| rajouter | Verb | add |
| religieuse | Noun | nun |
| sapin | Noun | fir |
| sécher | Verb | dry |
| semer | Verb | sow |
| supplier | Verb | beg |
| toubib | Noun | doc |
| waouh | Other | wow |
