un
/œ̃/
In French, un can mean 'one' or the indefinite article 'a' or 'an'.
The word un serves two main purposes: it can represent the number 'one' or function as the indefinite article 'a' or 'an' before a masculine noun. Additionally, un is used as an initialism for the United Nations.
Meaning: Initialism of United Nations (name)
Which one should you use?
In French, un functions as both the number 'one' and the indefinite article 'a' or 'an'.
How does it change in a sentence?
un is the masculine indefinite article. When modifying a feminine noun, you must use une instead. For plural nouns, the corresponding indefinite article is des.
How do you pronounce it?
/œ̃/
Did you know?
- When the United Nations is mentioned in French as l'ONU, it uses the feminine article because it is short for l'Organisation des Nations Unies.
- While un is the number 'one', French speakers often use on in casual speech to mean 'we' or 'one' in a general sense, and the two words are pronounced identically in many regions.
- The French word un is a direct descendant of the Latin word ūnum, which is also the ancestor of the English word 'unit'.
Examples in context
- Un enseignant est-il un homme ou une femme ?Is "un enseignant" a man or a woman?This sentence uses un to ask about the gender of a teacher.Tatoeba #11947386 by RCendre, translation #13125206 by rul
- Emma Watson est une ambassadrice de bonne volonté d’ONU Femmes.Emma Watson is a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador.This sentence uses un as part of the acronym for UN Women.Tatoeba #12473016 by Rovo, translation #6011568 by zumley
- Existe-t-il un moyen de remettre en état un T-shirt qui a rétréci ?Is there any way you can un-shrink a T-shirt that has shrunk?This sentence uses un in a context regarding a T-shirt.Tatoeba #6155481 by Dr_herr, translation #6151704 by CK
- un hommeOne man
- un livreOne book
- Il est l'unique candidat, un seul est suffisantHe is the only candidate, one is enough.
- Ce soir, je sors avec un poteTonight, I'm going out with a friend.
- Je cherche un truc pour ouvrir cette boîteI'm looking for something to open this box.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Nathan are discussing international news.
- EmmaLe siège de l'UN est à New York.The UN headquarters is in New York.
- NathanEst-ce que c'est un grand bâtiment ?Is it a big building?
- EmmaOui, et l'UN accueille beaucoup de diplomates.Yes, and the UN welcomes many diplomats.
- NathanC'est fascinant, Emma.That's fascinating, Emma.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry un, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries un, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
