2.01 Les articles et les nombres

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Articles, animals, and numbers

Nouns

As you have learned, a noun is a person, place, thing, or idea. In English, nouns can be used alone or with an article. In French, however, articles are required.
For example, in English, you could say:
I like dogs. -or- I like the dogs.
But in French, you must say:
J’aime les chiens.

Indefinite articles

Do you remember why an article is required? Articles will help you determine the gender and number of the noun. Take a moment to review the indefinite articles:

Indefinite Articles (a, an, some)	When to use the indefinite article
un	masculine, singular nouns
une	feminine, singular nouns
des	plural nouns

Definite articles

Do you remember why an article is required? Articles will help you determine the gender and number of the noun. Take a moment to review the definite and indefinite articles:

Definite Articles (the)	When to use the definite article
le	masculine, singular nouns
la	feminine, singular nouns
l'	singular nouns beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes h and y)
les	plural nouns

Gender of nouns

Remember, the gender of the noun has nothing to do with whether or not the noun is typically associated with a boy or a girl. To help determine the gender of the noun, you should look at the way the word is spelled, especially the last few letters.

• Une cravate is a tie, which is typically associated with a man. However, the gender of une cravate is feminine. Notice that cravate ends in the letter “e,” which is often (but not always) a feminine ending.
• Un chemisier is a blouse, which is typically associated with a woman. However, the gender of un chemisier is masculine. Notice that chemisier ends with a consonant (r), which is often a masculine ending.

Les animaux

Take a look at the various articles that can be used with common pets and animals. Read, study, and listen to the animal vocabulary on the following slides.

Les nombres 70-100

In Unit 1, you reviewed the numbers 0-69. The second group of numbers includes 70-100. Remember these tips about forming larger numbers:

• In French, there is no new number for 70, 80, or 90. Instead, these numbers are formed by combining smaller numbers. For example, the number 70 is made up of the numbers 60 and 10.
• Notice that the number 80 ends in the letter “s” (quatre-vingts). However, when another number is added to quatre-vingts, the “s” is dropped (quatre-vingt-cinq). You will also see this several times in the next set of numbers, which includes 100-1,000.

Les nombres 70-79

Remember: The 70s use the tens - onze, douze, treize, etc.