Why is "Choosing the wrong article because the noun's gender is unknown (un table, la problème)" a common mistake in Articles?

Why it happens: English has no genders, so learners guess — often from the English meaning or a misleading -e ending. How to avoid it: Always learn a noun with its article (la table, le problème). Use ending hints (-tion/-té feminine; -age/-ment masculine) but trust the article you memorised over any guess. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy

Why is "Dropping the article as in English (J'ai amis, Elle achète pommes)" a common mistake in Articles?

Why it happens: English omits 'some' and uses bare plurals, so learners do the same in French. How to avoid it: French almost never leaves a noun bare. Use des for 'some/plural' (J'ai des amis) and the partitive du/de la for masses (Je mange du pain). Check every noun has an article before it. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Keeping un/du after a negative (Je n'ai pas un frère, Je ne mange pas du pain)" a common mistake in Articles?

Why it happens: Learners negate the verb but forget that the article must also change. How to avoid it: After ne ... pas, switch un/une/des/du/de la to de (d' before a vowel): pas de frère, pas de pain, pas d'amis. The only exception is after être (Ce n'est pas un chat). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Writing à le / de le instead of contracting to au / du" a common mistake in Articles?

Why it happens: Learners translate word-for-word and don't realise the contraction is compulsory. How to avoid it: Whenever à or de is followed by le or les, contract: à le → au, à les → aux, de le → du, de les → des. Remember la and l' never change. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Confusing the definite and partitive (j'aime du café / je bois le café)" a common mistake in Articles?

Why it happens: Both relate to a noun, so learners can't tell when to use le café vs du café. How to avoid it: Use le/la/les for the thing in general, especially after aimer/adorer/détester (j'aime le café). Use du/de la/des for some of it right now (je bois du café). Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Why is "Adding an article before a job (Elle est une professeur)" a common mistake in Articles?

Why it happens: English uses 'a' before professions (She is a teacher), so learners copy it into French. How to avoid it: After être, drop the article for an unqualified job: Elle est professeur, Il est médecin. Bring it back only with a description: C'est un bon professeur. Source: Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)

Cambridge IGCSE French (0520)

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Detailed Study Notes

Detailed notes on Core Grammar for Cambridge IGCSE French, covering key concepts, explanations, examples, and exam-focused revision points.

French articles — le, la, les, un, une, des, du, de la — Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 (2025-2027)

A complete beginner's guide to the little words in front of every French noun: the definite articles (the), the indefinite articles (a/some) and the partitive articles (some/any). Master these and you make far fewer accuracy slips across every paper.

At a glance

Every French noun has a gender — masculine or feminine — and the article in front of it must match. There is no logical rule for most nouns, so you learn the article with the noun.
Definite articles (the): le (masculine), la (feminine), l' (before a vowel/silent h), les (plural).
Indefinite articles (a/an/some): un (masculine), une (feminine), des (plural = some).
Partitive articles (some/any of an uncountable thing): du (masculine), de la (feminine), de l' (before a vowel), des (plural).
French uses the definite article far more than English — for general statements (J'aime le chocolat — I like chocolate) and with likes/dislikes, languages and school subjects.
After a negative, un / une / des / du / de la all collapse to a plain de (or d'): Je n'ai pas de stylo (I don't have a pen).
de + le → du and de + les → des; à + le → au and à + les → aux. These contractions are compulsory — de le and à le are always wrong.
Getting the article right is a quick, reliable way to pick up accuracy marks in Paper 4 Writing and to read with confidence in Paper 2.

What you’ll learn

Mapped to the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 syllabus (2025-2027).

Recognise that every French noun has a gender and that articles agree with it in gender and number.
Select the correct definite article (le, la, l', les) for a given noun.
Select the correct indefinite article (un, une, des) for a given noun.
Use the partitive article (du, de la, de l', des) to express 'some/any' of an uncountable noun.
Apply the rule that un/une/des/du/de la become de after a negative.
Form the compulsory contractions du, des (de + le/les) and au, aux (à + le/les).
Explain where French uses the definite article but English uses no article at all.

Gender first — why articles even matter

Every French noun is masculine or feminine, and the article must match it.

Before you can choose an article, you have to know one surprising fact: every French noun has a gender. It is either masculine or feminine — not just people and animals, but tables, ideas and weather too. Une table (a table) is feminine; un livre (a book) is masculine. There is usually no logical reason behind it, so the golden rule is:

Learn every noun together with its article. Don't memorise chat (cat) — memorise le chat (the cat). The article tells you the gender forever.

Why does this matter so much? Because the article, and later the adjectives, must agree with the gender. Get the gender wrong and a chain of other words goes wrong with it.

English	French	Gender
the boy	le garçon	masculine
the girl	la fille	feminine
the book	le livre	masculine
the table	la table	feminine
the house	la maison	feminine
the school	l'école (f)	feminine (vowel → l')

There are a few helpful endings that often (not always) signal gender. Treat these as hints, not laws:

Often masculine: words ending in -age (le fromage — cheese), -ment (le moment — moment), -eau (le bureau — desk/office).
Often feminine: words ending in -tion (la nation — nation), -té (la liberté — freedom), -ette (la baguette — baguette), -ie (la boulangerie — bakery).

Worked mini-example. You learn the new word gâteau (cake). Don't store it bare — store it as le gâteau (the cake). The ending -eau also hints masculine, which agrees. Now you automatically know to say un gâteau (a cake) and le bon gâteau (the good cake), not une gâteau.

Every French noun is masculine or feminine — there is no neuter 'it'.
Always learn a noun with its article: not chat but le chat.
Endings give hints: -age/-ment/-eau often masculine; -tion/-té/-ette/-ie often feminine.
Gender controls the article and, later, adjective agreement — so it really matters.

The definite article — le, la, l', les (the)

Four forms of 'the', chosen by gender, by a following vowel, and by number.

A simple decision chart for choosing the definite article le, la, l' or les.

The definite article means "the" — a specific, known thing. French has four forms where English has just one:

Form	Use	Example	English
le	masculine singular	le chien	the dog
la	feminine singular	la maison	the house
l'	before a vowel or silent h (either gender)	l'ami, l'école	the friend, the school
les	plural (either gender)	les enfants	the children

The l' form is just elision: le or la drops its vowel before another vowel sound, exactly like l'eau (the water) and l'homme (the man — silent h). You must write the apostrophe.

French loves the definite article more than English does. This is the single biggest difference for beginners. French uses le/la/les in places where English uses no word at all:

General statements / things in general: J'aime le chocolat — I like chocolate. Les chats sont indépendants — Cats are independent.
Likes and dislikes: Je préfère la musique — I prefer music.
Languages and school subjects: J'étudie le français et les mathématiques — I study French and maths.
Days you do something regularly: Je joue au foot le samedi — I play football on Saturdays.

Worked mini-example. Translate "I love coffee." A beginner writes J'aime café — wrong. Coffee here is a general thing, so French needs the definite article: J'aime le café. (café is masculine → le.)

Definite article = 'the': le (m), la (f), l' (before vowel/h), les (plural).
l' is just elision — write the apostrophe (l'école).
French uses 'the' for general statements where English uses nothing (J'aime le chocolat).
Also used with likes/dislikes, languages, school subjects and regular days.

The indefinite article — un, une, des (a / an / some)

un and une mean 'a/an'; des means 'some' and cannot be left out.

The indefinite article points to a thing that is not specific — "a" or "an" in the singular, and "some" in the plural.

Form	Use	Example	English
un	masculine singular	un livre	a book
une	feminine singular	une pomme	an apple
des	plural (either gender)	des livres	some books

Two things trip up English speakers:

1. There is no separate word for "an". English changes "a" to "an" before a vowel; French does not. Un ami (a friend) and un livre (a book) both use un — the article never changes shape before a vowel (though liaison links the sound: un ami → uh-n-a-MEE).

2. You cannot drop "des". English happily says "I have books." French must keep the article: J'ai des livres (literally "I have some books"). Leaving it out — J'ai livres — is always wrong.

English (no article)	French (article required)
I have friends.	J'ai des amis.
She buys apples.	Elle achète des pommes.
There are problems.	Il y a des problèmes.

Worked mini-example. Translate "I would like a coffee and some croissants." Choose articles by gender and number: café is masculine singular → un; croissants is plural → des. Answer: Je voudrais un café et des croissants.

Indefinite article: un (m), une (f), des (plural = 'some').
French has no 'an' — un stays un before a vowel (un ami).
des cannot be dropped: 'I have books' = J'ai des livres.
Choose the form by the noun's gender and number.

The partitive article — du, de la, de l', des (some / any)

Used for an unspecified quantity of something you can't count, like food and drink.

The partitive article expresses "some" or "any" of something you cannot easily count — typically food, drink and abstract things. Think of it as "a part of" something. It is literally de (of) + the definite article.

Form	Use	Example	English
du	masculine (= de + le)	du pain	some bread
de la	feminine	de la confiture	some jam
de l'	before a vowel/h (either gender)	de l'eau	some water
des	plural	des frites	some chips

In English the word "some/any" is often optional — "I'd like (some) bread." In French the partitive is compulsory: you cannot say Je voudrais pain. It must be Je voudrais du pain (I'd like some bread).

English	French
I'm eating bread.	Je mange du pain.
She's drinking water.	Elle boit de l'eau.
Do you want jam?	Tu veux de la confiture ?
We're buying chips.	Nous achetons des frites.

Definite vs partitive — the key contrast. Use le/la/les for the thing in general, and du/de la/des for some of it right now:

J'aime le café. — I like coffee (in general).
Je bois du café. — I'm drinking (some) coffee (right now).

Worked mini-example. Translate "I'm eating bread and drinking water." pain (bread) is masculine → du; eau (water) is feminine but starts with a vowel → de l'. Answer: Je mange du pain et je bois de l'eau.

Partitive = 'some/any' of an uncountable thing: du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel), des (plural).
It is compulsory in French even when English omits 'some' (Je voudrais du pain).
du is simply de + le; de l' is used before a vowel/silent h.
Contrast: le café = coffee in general; du café = some coffee now.

After a negative — everything becomes 'de'

Un, une, des, du and de la all turn into a plain de after ne...pas.

A before/after chart: after a negative, every indefinite and partitive article collapses to de.

Here is a rule that English has no equivalent for. After a negative (ne ... pas, ne ... plus, ne ... jamais), the indefinite and partitive articles un, une, des, du, de la, de l' all collapse into a single plain de (shortened to d' before a vowel).

Positive	Negative
J'ai un frère. (I have a brother.)	Je n'ai pas de frère. (I don't have a brother.)
Elle a une voiture.	Elle n'a pas de voiture.
Nous avons des devoirs.	Nous n'avons pas de devoirs.
Je mange du pain.	Je ne mange pas de pain.
Il y a de l'eau.	Il n'y a pas d'eau.

The big exception: être. This change does not happen after the verb être (to be). The article stays the same:

C'est un chat. (It's a cat.) → Ce n'est pas un chat. (It's not a cat.) — still un, not de.

And remember from the previous section: the definite article (le/la/les) never changes after a negative either — only the indefinite and partitive do.

Worked mini-example. Make negative: J'ai des amis et je mange du fromage. Change des → de and du → de: Je n'ai pas d'amis et je ne mange pas de fromage. (Note d' before the vowel in amis.)

After ne ... pas/plus/jamais, the articles un/une/des/du/de la/de l' all become de (or d' before a vowel).
Definite articles (le/la/les) do not change after a negative.
Exception: after être the article stays (Ce n'est pas un chat).
Je n'ai pas de stylo = I don't have a pen; Je ne mange pas de pain = I'm not eating bread.

Compulsory contractions — au, aux, du, des

à and de must combine with le and les; 'à le' and 'de le' are always wrong.

Two very common little words, à (to/at) and de (of/from), are forbidden from sitting next to le or les. They are forced to merge. These contractions are not optional — à le and de le simply do not exist in French.

à + the definite article:

Combination	Becomes	Example	English
à + le	au	Je vais au cinéma.	I'm going to the cinema.
à + les	aux	Je parle aux élèves.	I'm talking to the pupils.
à + la	(no change) à la	Je vais à la plage.	I'm going to the beach.
à + l'	(no change) à l'	Je vais à l'école.	I'm going to school.

de + the definite article:

Combination	Becomes	Example	English
de + le	du	la porte du jardin	the gate of the garden
de + les	des	les livres des enfants	the children's books
de + la	(no change) de la	la couleur de la maison	the colour of the house
de + l'	(no change) de l'	l'eau de l'océan	the water of the ocean

Notice that only le and les trigger the contraction. The feminine la and the elided l' are left alone. (And yes — the du and des you met as partitive articles are the very same contractions of de + le/les.)

Worked mini-example. Translate "I'm going to the restaurant and to the shops." restaurant is masculine singular: à + le → au restaurant. magasins is plural: à + les → aux magasins. Answer: Je vais au restaurant et aux magasins.

à + le → au, à + les → aux (à + la / à l' stay the same).
de + le → du, de + les → des (de + la / de l' stay the same).
à le and de le are never correct.
Je vais au cinéma; les livres des enfants; Je vais à la plage (no change).

Quick recap

Every French noun is masculine or feminine — learn each noun with its article (le/la), because gender controls everything that follows.
Definite article 'the': le (m), la (f), l' (vowel/h), les (plural).
French uses 'the' for general statements, likes/dislikes, languages and subjects where English uses no article (J'aime le chocolat).
Indefinite article 'a/some': un (m), une (f), des (plural) — and des cannot be dropped.
Partitive 'some/any': du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel), des (plural) — compulsory even when English omits 'some'.
After a negative, un/une/des/du/de la all become de (d') — but not after être, and never the definite article.
Compulsory contractions: à + le → au, à + les → aux, de + le → du, de + les → des.

Memorise this

Verbatim phrases and definitions Cambridge mark schemes credit.

Definite (the): le (m), la (f), l' (vowel/h), les (plural).
Indefinite (a/some): un (m), une (f), des (plural).
Partitive (some/any): du (m), de la (f), de l' (vowel), des (plural).
General statements take 'the': J'aime le café (I like coffee).
No article for jobs: Elle est professeur (She is a teacher).
After a negative → de / d': Je n'ai pas de stylo; Je ne mange pas de pain.
Exception — after être the article stays: Ce n'est pas un chat.
Contractions: au (à+le), aux (à+les), du (de+le), des (de+les).
Quantity + de: beaucoup de pain, un verre d'eau.
à le and de le are always wrong.

How it’s examined

Articles are a backbone of accuracy across all four Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 papers.

Paper 1 (Listening): Hearing au vs aux or a partitive vs a definite article can change meaning. Liaison joins articles to nouns (les‿amis, un‿ami), so you must parse the linked sound to identify the noun.
Paper 2 (Reading): Recognising contractions (au, aux, du, des) and the negative de helps you read accurately and not mistake a partitive for a plural definite article.
Paper 3 (Speaking): Correct gender (un/une, le/la) and natural use of contractions (je vais au..., je joue du...) contribute to range and accuracy marks. Mismatched gender is an audible, frequent error.
Paper 4 (Writing): This is where articles earn or lose the most marks. The mark scheme rewards correct gender agreement, the compulsory des, the negative de, and the au/du contractions. Dropping an article or writing de le is a clear accuracy error.

Examiner reports for French repeatedly note that candidates lose accuracy marks through wrong noun gender, omitting the partitive/indefinite article, and failing to change to de after a negative.

Sources: Cambridge IGCSE French 0520 Syllabus 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Paper 2 (Reading) & Paper 4 (Writing) Specimen 2025-2027; Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports 2022-2024. Last reviewed 2026-06-02.

Take this whole topic with you

Step-by-step worked examples — Articles

Step-by-step solutions to past-paper-style questions on articles, written exactly the way a tutor would explain them at the board.

1Choose the correct form of 'the'
Getting started
Question
Put the correct definite article (le, la, l' or les) in front of each noun: ___ chien (dog, m), ___ maison (house, f), ___ école (school, f), ___ enfants (children, pl).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Check number first. enfants is plural, so it takes les regardless of gender: les enfants.
2. Step 2
  Check for a vowel start. école begins with a vowel, so la elides to l': l'école. (Write the apostrophe.)
3. Step 3
  Apply gender to the rest. chien is masculine → le chien; maison is feminine and starts with a consonant → la maison.
Answer
le chien, la maison, l'école, les enfants.
Examiner tip
Work through it in order: plural → les; vowel start → l'; otherwise le (m) / la (f). The most common slip is forgetting the apostrophe in l'école, which is a spelling error in Paper 4.
2Indefinite (un/une/des) or partitive (du/de la/des)?
Building confidence
Question
Complete with the right article. (a) Je voudrais ___ croissant (croissant, m, one whole item). (b) Je voudrais ___ pain (bread, m, an unspecified amount). (c) Elle achète ___ pommes (apples, pl, countable).
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  (a) One whole, countable item → indefinite. You want one croissant, so use un: un croissant.
2. Step 2
  (b) An uncountable amount → partitive. Bread is a mass you take 'some' of, so use du (de + le): du pain.
3. Step 3
  (c) Countable plural → indefinite des. Several apples = 'some apples', so use des: des pommes. (Both partitive and indefinite plural happen to be des, so this one is easy.)
Answer
(a) un croissant, (b) du pain, (c) des pommes.
Examiner tip
The test is countable vs uncountable. One whole thing → un/une; an unspecified amount of a mass (bread, water, jam) → du/de la/de l'. In the plural both come out as des, so plurals rarely cause trouble — it's the singular partitive (du pain, not un pain) that earns the marks.
3Make a sentence negative and change the article
Building confidence
Question
Rewrite in the negative: J'ai un frère, une sœur et des amis. (I have a brother, a sister and friends.)
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  Build the negative frame around the verb: ne ... pas. With ai (have) it becomes je n'ai pas.
2. Step 2
  Switch the articles. After a negative, un, une and des all become a plain de — here d' before the vowel in amis.
3. Step 3
  Assemble: un frère → de frère, une sœur → de sœur, des amis → d'amis.
Answer
Je n'ai pas de frère, de sœur ni d'amis. (Each un/une/des becomes de; d' before the vowel in amis.)
Examiner tip
This is one of the highest-frequency accuracy tests in Paper 4. After ne ... pas, every indefinite/partitive article collapses to de (or d'). The classic error is writing pas un frère or pas des amis — both wrong.
4Form the compulsory contractions au, aux, du, des
Stretch
Question
Combine the words correctly: (a) Je vais à + le cinéma. (b) Je parle à + les profs. (c) C'est la voiture de + le voisin (neighbour, m). (d) Je joue à + la guitare.
Step-by-step solution
1. Step 1
  (a) à + le → au. Je vais au cinéma. (à le never exists.)
2. Step 2
  (b) à + les → aux. Je parle aux profs.
3. Step 3
  (c) de + le → du. C'est la voiture du voisin.
4. Step 4
  (d) à + la → no change. Only le and les contract; la stays: Je joue à la guitare.
Answer
(a) Je vais au cinéma. (b) Je parle aux profs. (c) la voiture du voisin. (d) Je joue à la guitare.
Examiner tip
Remember: only le and les trigger a contraction (au/aux, du/des). The feminine la and the elided l' never change. Writing à le or de le is always an error — examiners flag it routinely.

Model Answers — Articles

High-scoring sample answers for articles on the Cambridge IGCSE 0520 paper, with examiner-style notes mapping each response to the mark scheme and assessment objectives.

Question 1
Paper 3 (Speaking) / Paper 4 (Writing) style. Order breakfast in a café: say you would like a coffee, some bread and some jam.
Model answer
Bonjour ! Je voudrais un café, du pain et de la confiture, s'il vous plaît. (Hello! I would like a coffee, some bread and some jam, please.)

Article choices: un café — one whole drink, so the indefinite un (café is masculine). du pain — an unspecified amount of bread, so the partitive du (de + le). de la confiture — an unspecified amount of jam, so the partitive de la (confiture is feminine).
Why this scores
Why this scores. It correctly mixes the indefinite (un café = one drink) with the partitive (du pain, de la confiture = some of a mass). Getting du vs de la right shows control of gender, and including the partitive at all — rather than dropping it as in English — is exactly the accuracy the mark scheme rewards.
Question 2
Paper 4 (Writing) style. Write two sentences about your tastes: that you like coffee but you don't drink coffee in the evening.
Model answer
J'aime beaucoup le café, mais je ne bois pas de café le soir. (I really like coffee, but I don't drink coffee in the evening.)

Article choices: le café with aimer — likes refer to coffee in general, so the definite article. pas de café — after the negative ne ... pas, the partitive du becomes plain de. le soir — French uses the definite article for habitual time ('in the evenings').
Why this scores
Why this scores. It contrasts the two systems perfectly: aimer takes the definite le café (the whole category), while the negative drinking clause uses pas de café. Many candidates wrongly write j'aime du café or je ne bois pas du café — this answer avoids both.
Question 3
Paper 3 (Speaking) style. Say where you go at the weekend, using at least two places that need the au/aux contraction.
Model answer
Le week-end, je vais au cinéma avec mes amis, et le dimanche je vais aux magasins en ville. (At the weekend I go to the cinema with my friends, and on Sundays I go to the shops in town.)

Article choices: au cinéma — à + le contracts to au (cinéma is masculine). aux magasins — à + les contracts to aux (plural). le week-end and le dimanche use the definite article for habitual time.
Why this scores
Why this scores. It uses both contractions naturally (au cinéma, aux magasins) and the habitual definite article (le week-end, le dimanche). Producing au/aux rather than the impossible à le / à les demonstrates the structural accuracy that lifts a Speaking response.

Key Definitions and Keywords — Articles

Definitions to memorise and the exact keywords mark schemes credit for articles answers — sharpened from recent examiner reports for the 2026 0520 sitting.

le / la / l' / les (the)
Examiner keyword
The definite article. le = masculine, la = feminine, l' = before a vowel or silent h, les = plural. Used for specific things and for general statements.
Example
le chien (the dog), la maison (the house), l'école (the school), les enfants (the children).
un / une / des (a / an / some)
Examiner keyword
The indefinite article. un = masculine, une = feminine, des = plural ('some'). des cannot be omitted, unlike English.
Example
un livre (a book), une pomme (an apple), des amis (some friends).
du / de la / de l' / des (some / any)
Examiner keyword
The partitive article, for an unspecified quantity of an uncountable thing. du = masculine, de la = feminine, de l' = before a vowel, des = plural.
Example
du pain (some bread), de la confiture (some jam), de l'eau (some water).
de / d' (after a negative)
Examiner keyword
After ne ... pas/plus/jamais, the articles un, une, des, du, de la all change to a plain de (d' before a vowel). Does not apply after être.
Example
Je n'ai pas de stylo (I don't have a pen); Je ne mange pas de pain (I'm not eating bread).
au / aux (à + le / à + les)
Examiner keyword
Compulsory contractions of à (to/at) with the definite article. à + le → au, à + les → aux. à + la and à + l' do not change.
Example
Je vais au cinéma (I go to the cinema); Je parle aux élèves (I talk to the pupils).
du / des (de + le / de + les)
Compulsory contractions of de (of/from) with the definite article. de + le → du, de + les → des. de + la and de + l' do not change.
Example
la porte du jardin (the gate of the garden); les livres des enfants (the children's books).
Gender (genre)
Examiner keyword
Every French noun is masculine or feminine. The gender decides which article (and adjective) to use, so nouns must be learned with their article.
Example
le problème (m) — the problem; la table (f) — the table.
No article (with jobs)
After être, French omits the article before an unqualified job or profession, where English uses 'a'.
Example
Elle est professeur (She is a teacher); Il est médecin (He is a doctor).
Quantity + de
After an expression of quantity, use a plain de (d'), never du/de la/des.
Example
beaucoup de pain (a lot of bread); un verre d'eau (a glass of water).
l' (elision)
le and la drop their vowel and become l' (with an apostrophe) before a word starting with a vowel or silent h.
Example
l'ami (the friend), l'eau (the water), l'homme (the man).

Common Mistakes and Misconceptions — Articles

The traps other students keep falling into on articles questions — taken from recent Cambridge IGCSE 0520 examiner reports and mark schemes — and how to avoid them.

✕Choosing the wrong article because the noun's gender is unknown (un table, la problème)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing), accuracy
Why it happens
English has no genders, so learners guess — often from the English meaning or a misleading -e ending.
How to avoid it
Always learn a noun with its article (la table, le problème). Use ending hints (-tion/-té feminine; -age/-ment masculine) but trust the article you memorised over any guess.
✕Dropping the article as in English (J'ai amis, Elle achète pommes)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
English omits 'some' and uses bare plurals, so learners do the same in French.
How to avoid it
French almost never leaves a noun bare. Use des for 'some/plural' (J'ai des amis) and the partitive du/de la for masses (Je mange du pain). Check every noun has an article before it.
✕Keeping un/du after a negative (Je n'ai pas un frère, Je ne mange pas du pain)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Learners negate the verb but forget that the article must also change.
How to avoid it
After ne ... pas, switch un/une/des/du/de la to de (d' before a vowel): pas de frère, pas de pain, pas d'amis. The only exception is after être (Ce n'est pas un chat).
✕Writing à le / de le instead of contracting to au / du
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Learners translate word-for-word and don't realise the contraction is compulsory.
How to avoid it
Whenever à or de is followed by le or les, contract: à le → au, à les → aux, de le → du, de les → des. Remember la and l' never change.
✕Confusing the definite and partitive (j'aime du café / je bois le café)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
Both relate to a noun, so learners can't tell when to use le café vs du café.
How to avoid it
Use le/la/les for the thing in general, especially after aimer/adorer/détester (j'aime le café). Use du/de la/des for some of it right now (je bois du café).
✕Adding an article before a job (Elle est une professeur)
Cambridge 0520 Examiner Reports — Paper 4 (Writing)
Why it happens
English uses 'a' before professions (She is a teacher), so learners copy it into French.
How to avoid it
After être, drop the article for an unqualified job: Elle est professeur, Il est médecin. Bring it back only with a description: C'est un bon professeur.

Articles

Detailed Study Notes

At a glance

What you’ll learn

Quick recap

Memorise this

How it’s examined

Take this whole topic with you

1Choose the correct form of 'the'

2Indefinite (un/une/des) or partitive (du/de la/des)?

3Make a sentence negative and change the article

4Form the compulsory contractions au, aux, du, des

le / la / l' / les (the)

un / une / des (a / an / some)

du / de la / de l' / des (some / any)

de / d' (after a negative)

au / aux (à + le / à + les)

du / des (de + le / de + les)

Gender (genre)

No article (with jobs)

Quantity + de

l' (elision)

✕Choosing the wrong article because the noun's gender is unknown (un table, la problème)

✕Dropping the article as in English (J'ai amis, Elle achète pommes)

✕Keeping un/du after a negative (Je n'ai pas un frère, Je ne mange pas du pain)

✕Writing à le / de le instead of contracting to au / du

✕Confusing the definite and partitive (j'aime du café / je bois le café)

✕Adding an article before a job (Elle est une professeur)