Indefinite Articles in French

Overview

Indefinite articles in French — un, une, and des — correspond to "a," "an," and "some" in English. You will use them constantly from your very first A1 lessons, whenever you mention something non-specific or introduce something for the first time.

Like definite articles, indefinite articles must agree with the gender of the noun. Masculine nouns take un, feminine nouns take une, and all plural nouns take des. The plural form des is particularly important because English often uses no article at all where French requires des.

A key rule to learn early: when an adjective precedes a plural noun, des typically changes to de (or d' before a vowel). This is a subtle but important detail that will come up frequently as your French progresses.

How It Works

Gender/Number	Article	Example
Masculine singular	un	un livre (a book)
Feminine singular	une	une maison (a house)
Plural (any gender)	des	des livres (some books)

Des → de before preceding adjectives

Standard	With adjective before noun
des amis	de bons amis (some good friends)
des maisons	de grandes maisons (some big houses)
des idées	de bonnes idées (some good ideas)

Note: In casual spoken French, many speakers keep des even before adjectives. The des → de rule is standard in writing and careful speech.

Examples in Context

French	English	Note
J'ai un frère.	I have a brother.	Masculine singular
C'est une bonne idée.	That's a good idea.	Feminine singular
Il y a des fleurs dans le jardin.	There are flowers in the garden.	Plural
Elle a des amis à Paris.	She has friends in Paris.	Plural (English uses no article)
Ce sont de bons étudiants.	They are good students.	Des → de before adjective
J'ai un chat et une chienne.	I have a cat and a female dog.	Gender agreement
Tu veux un café ?	Do you want a coffee?	Offering something
Il cherche une maison.	He is looking for a house.	Feminine singular
Nous avons des questions.	We have questions.	Plural
Il y a **d'**autres options.	There are other options.	De + vowel → d'

Common Mistakes

Omitting "des" in the plural

• Wrong: J'ai amis à Paris.
• Right: J'ai des amis à Paris.
• Why: English can say "I have friends" with no article, but French requires des before plural nouns.

Using "des" before a preceding adjective

• Wrong: des bons amis (in careful speech/writing)
• Right: de bons amis
• Why: When an adjective comes before a plural noun, des becomes de. This rule applies in formal and written French.

Confusing "un" and "une"

• Wrong: une livre (meaning a book)
• Right: un livre
• Why: Livre is masculine. The indefinite article must match the noun's gender.

Practice Tips

1. Practice naming objects around you with their indefinite article: un stylo (a pen), une table (a table), des chaises (some chairs). This builds the habit of choosing the right article automatically.
2. Translate simple English sentences and pay special attention to the plural — every time English uses no article with a plural noun, French likely needs des.

Related Concepts

• Gender of Nouns — gender determines whether to use un or une