Most of you probably know what indefinite and definite articles are. "A", "an", or "one" are indefinite articles. Saying "a dog" could refer to any dog in the area. "The" is a definite article. Saying "the dog" refers to a specific dog.
In French, the indefinite articles are un and une, depending on the subject's gender, and the definite articles are le and la, also depending on gender, and les if there's more than one.
But in French, articles are a bit more important than they are in English.
In English, possessives are fairly simple. If someone named Matilda had one brother, and his name was Christopher, you'd say, "Christopher is Matilda's brother." Even if she had more than one brother, you'd still say, "Christopher is Matilda's brother." (But if you wanted to, you could change it to "one of Matilda's brothers.")
For our French example, I shall change the English names to their French counterparts: Mathilde and Christophe.
Let's say Christophe is Mathilde's only brother. Here is how you would say it: "Christophe est le frère de Mathilde."
This literally translates to, "Christophe is the brother of Mathilde." This implies that he is her only brother.
But it would be different if Mathilde had more than one brother. "Christophe est un frère de Mathilde."
Now instead of being the brother, Christophe is a brother. This implies that Mathilde has more than one brother.
The main thing you'll want to watch out for is how many of something there is. In this example, you'd want to know whether Christophe is Mathilde's only brother or not.
If you have any other questions on the subject, let us know.
- Roseh
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A Guide to the French Language
Non-FictionSalut, tout le monde! If you need help with French grammar or words, we at RosehFrenchClub are here to provide the help you need! :D And of course, if we get something wrong, feel free to correct us. :)
