le
/lə/
In French, le is the masculine definite article for the English word 'the'.
In certain contexts, it also functions as a direct object pronoun meaning 'him' or 'it'.
Which one should you use?
While le is the masculine definite article, it can also be used as a pronoun to mean 'him' or 'it' depending on the context. For the definite article, the feminine form is la and the plural form for both masculine and feminine nouns is les.
How does it change in a sentence?
It elides to l' when it precedes a word starting with a vowel or a silent 'h'. For plural nouns, use les regardless of whether the noun is masculine or feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
/lə/
Did you know?
- French speakers often use le in a sarcastic or distancing way when talking about people they dislike, treating a person's name as a common noun by adding the article.
- The French word le is actually a 'shrunken' version of the Latin word illum, which originally meant 'that' rather than just 'the'.
- In some formal or poetic French, le can be used as a 'neutral' article to turn an entire adjective or phrase into a noun, such as le beau meaning 'the beautiful one'.
Examples in context
- Les jeunes kiffent le peura.Young people like "Le Peura".This sentence uses le in the context of a proper name.Tatoeba #9087270 by Selenyt, translation #11612752 by tieguy
- Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier est né en 1811 à Saint-Lô, en France.Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier was born in 1811 at Saint-Lô, France.This sentence uses le as part of a proper name.Tatoeba #8731580 by Julien_PDC, translation #3961140 by Hybrid
- Le nouveau film de Veber, « Le Dîner de Cons », comme son film célèbre « La Cage aux Folles », est très amusant.Veber's new movie, "Le Dîner de Cons", like his famous film "La Cage aux Folles", is very amusing.This sentence uses le as part of a movie title.Tatoeba #3258453 by nimfeo, translation #3258454 by nimfeo
- Le chatThe cat
- Le chienThe dog
- Le livreThe book
- L'enfantThe child
- L'oiseauThe bird
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are talking about a book.
- ManonTu as lu le livre ?Did you read the book?
- NathanOui, je l'ai fini hier.Yes, I finished it yesterday.
- ManonEst-ce que le style est simple ?Is the style simple?
- NathanOui, le texte est très clair.Yes, the text is very clear.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry le, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries le, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
