I can name a thing near me in French with the right article — un, une, or des — and say “this is…” and “here is…”: c'est, ce sont, voici, voilà.
Un, une, des: a thing and its article
Un, une, des: a thing and its article
To name a thing you see and say “this is…” or “here is…” about it, you need an article.
A French noun almost never stands bare: an article comes before it. You say “Voilà une table”, not “Voilà table”.
Gender comes with the word, and English gives no clue: une table, un livre, un stylo, une clé. That's why a dictionary gives each word with its article: le livre, la table. How le and la work comes later — for now you only need the gender.
Several things take des: un livre, des livres. The final s is written but silent: “livre” and “livres” sound the same, so you hear the number only in the article. English says “These are keys”; French needs des: “Ce sont des clés”.
“This is” is c'est for one thing, and “these are” is ce sont for several (not ils sont). “Here is” is voici when the thing is close, in your hand, and voilà when it's a little farther away.
For several things, written French uses ce sont, not “c'est”: “Ce sont des clés”, not “C'est des clés” — people say that in conversation, but not in writing.
About a thing you ask “Qu'est-ce que c'est ?”, about a person “Qui est-ce ?”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Voilà stylo.” — the article is required.
• NOT “C'est un table.” — table is feminine.
• NOT “Voici des livre.” — after des, add -s.
• NOT “Qu'est-ce que c'est ?” about a person — ask “Qui est-ce ?”.
The indefinite article and pointing to a thing
You hear the number only in the article: a final -s is silent.
| Form | When it's used | Example |
|---|---|---|
| un | one masculine thing | un livre, un stylo |
| une | one feminine thing | une table, une clé |
| des | several things | des livres, des clés |
| c'est | this is — for one thing | C'est une porte |
| ce sont | these are — for several | Ce sont des portes et des fenêtres |
| voici | here is — a thing close by, in your hand | Voici une gomme |
| voilà | there is — a thing a little farther away | Voilà un cahier |
Gender comes with the word
Seven everyday words: English gives no clue to their gender, so learn each one with its article.
| English word | French word |
|---|---|
| table | une table |
| book | un livre |
| key | une clé |
| chair | une chaise |
| notebook | un cahier |
| eraser | une gomme |
| sheet of paper | une feuille |
Lesson notes
Un, une, des: a thing and its article
To name a thing you see and say “this is…” or “here is…” about it, you need an article.
A French noun almost never stands bare: an article comes before it. You say “Voilà une table”, not “Voilà table”.
Gender comes with the word, and English gives no clue: une table, un livre, un stylo, une clé. That's why a dictionary gives each word with its article: le livre, la table. How le and la work comes later — for now you only need the gender.
Several things take des: un livre, des livres. The final s is written but silent: “livre” and “livres” sound the same, so you hear the number only in the article. English says “These are keys”; French needs des: “Ce sont des clés”.
“This is” is c'est for one thing, and “these are” is ce sont for several (not ils sont). “Here is” is voici when the thing is close, in your hand, and voilà when it's a little farther away.
For several things, written French uses ce sont, not “c'est”: “Ce sont des clés”, not “C'est des clés” — people say that in conversation, but not in writing.
About a thing you ask “Qu'est-ce que c'est ?”, about a person “Qui est-ce ?”.
Common mistakes:
• NOT “Voilà stylo.” — the article is required.
• NOT “C'est un table.” — table is feminine.
• NOT “Voici des livre.” — after des, add -s.
• NOT “Qu'est-ce que c'est ?” about a person — ask “Qui est-ce ?”.