In French, the indefinite articles (articles indéfinis) are un (masculine singular), une (feminine singular) and des (plural for both genders). In English they are the articles a or an.
An indefinite article is used to define an unspecified/unquantified noun. In English, indefinite articles translate to “a/an,” “some,” or “any.” Just like definite articles, the form of the indefinite article that you choose depends on the gender and number of the person or object that you are referring to.
| Indefinite Article | Label | Example | Translation |
| un | Masculine singular | un chapeau | a hat |
| une | Feminine singular | une chemise | a shirt |
| des | Plural for “some” | des chaussures | some shoes |
Indefinite articles in negative sentences
We learned previously that in order to negate a sentence, you have to sandwich the “ne” and “pas” around the verb. Notice the change in the indefinite article in these examples of affirmative and negative sentences.
Affirmative: J’ai une cravate. I have a tie.
Negative: Je n’ai pas de cravate. I don’t have a tie.
Affirmative: J’ai des bottes. I have some boots.
Negative: Je n’ai pas de bottes. I don’t have any boots.
Affirmative: J’ai une écharpe. I have a scarf.
Negative: Je n’ai pas d’écharpe. I don’t have a scarf.
In a negative sentence, the indefinite article changes to de (d’ before a vowel) to signify the English word, “any” (even when the noun is plural). The exception is after être: Ce n’est pas un problème.
Notes:
- Just like definite articles, you must identify the gender and number of the word that you are defining by an indefinite article. For example, if you want to say “I have an exam tomorrow,” you must first determine the gender of the word exam, or examen, in French. When you learn that examen is masculine singular, you know that the sentence should be translated to, J’ai un examen demain.
- When des is used in front of a noun that begins with a vowel, the –s on the end is pronounced with a /z/ sound to create a liaison between the indefinite article and the following word.
In English we have the indefinite article a, which changes to an in front of a word that starts with a vowel. In the plural we say either some, any or nothing at all. In French, the indefinite articles (articles indéfinis) are un (masculine singular), une (feminine singular) and des (plural for both genders). We use the indefinite article in the following cases:
- to talk about something non-specific
- in an introductory capacity to mention something for the first time in a text