une
/yn/
une is the French indefinite article for 'a' or 'an'.
une is a feminine indefinite article.
Which one should you use?
Use une for feminine nouns and un for masculine nouns.
How does it change in a sentence?
une is the feminine singular indefinite article used before feminine nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
/yn/
Did you know?
- In French, une can be used as a noun to refer to a front page of a newspaper, known as la une.
- The word une shares a linguistic root with the English word 'unit' and 'unique', both of which derive from the same Latin source meaning 'one'.
- In many French dialects, particularly in parts of Quebec, the pronunciation of une can sound closer to 'oon' than the standard Parisian /yn/.
Examples in context
- Il y a une fleur dans le jardin.There is a flower in the garden.
- Je veux juste une petite danse avec toi.I just want a little dance with you.
- Je voudrais une pomme, s'il vous plaît.I would like an apple, please.
- Est-ce qu'il y a une boulangerie ici ?Is there a bakery here?
- Elle a acheté une nouvelle voiture.She bought a new car.
Example conversation
Léa and Hugo are at a café in Paris.
- LéaEst-ce que tu veux une glace ?Do you want an ice cream?
- HugoOui, une glace au chocolat, s'il te plaît.Yes, a chocolate ice cream, please.
- LéaD'accord, je vais la commander.Okay, I am going to order it.
- HugoMerci, tu es très gentille.Thank you, you are very kind.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry une, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
