In French grammar, the agreement between articles, nouns, and adjectives is essential for proper sentence structure. Here's how they align:
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Articles: These are words that define a noun as specific or unspecific. In French, articles must agree in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural) with the nouns they modify.
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Definite articles:
- Singular: le (masculine), la (feminine), l’ (before a vowel or mute 'h')
- Plural: les (for both genders)
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Indefinite articles:
- Singular: un (masculine), une (feminine)
- Plural: des (for both genders)
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Nouns: These are words that represent people, places, things, or ideas. Each noun has a gender, which determines the form of the articles and adjectives that modify it.
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Adjectives: These describe or modify nouns and must agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe.
Examples of Correct Agreement
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Singular Masculine:
- Article + Noun + Adjective
- Le grand chien (The big dog)
- Here, le (the) is masculine singular, chien (dog) is masculine singular, and grand (big) is an adjective that agrees by being masculine singular.
- Article + Noun + Adjective
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Singular Feminine:
- Article + Noun + Adjective
- La grande maison (The big house)
- Here, la (the) is feminine singular, maison (house) is feminine singular, and grande is the feminine form of the adjective.
- Article + Noun + Adjective
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Plural Masculine and Feminine:
- Article + Noun + Adjective
- Les grands chiens (The big dogs)
- Les grandes maisons (The big houses)
- In both cases, les (the) is plural, and adjectives grands and grandes agree with the gender and number of nouns.
- Article + Noun + Adjective
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Indefinite Articles:
- Un petit chat (A small cat) - masculine
- Une petite chatte (A small female cat) - feminine
- Des petits chats (Small cats) - plural masculine
- Des petites chattes (Small female cats) - plural feminine
Conclusion
In summary, in French, articles, nouns, and adjectives must agree in gender and number. Following this structure accurately will help convey meaning correctly in French sentences.