le with a masculine noun; la with a feminine noun; l' before a vowel or a mute h; les with a plural noun; generic use: French keeps the article (j'aime le café).

How do you use le in a sentence?

Le train arrive dans cinq minutes. (The train arrives in five minutes.)

French · word

The in French

The forms you will meet: le, la, l', les. It means the.

grammar word

the

Examples · 2

le with a masculine noun
Le train arrive dans cinq minutes.The train arrives in five minutes.
la with a feminine noun
La voiture de Marie est rouge.Marie's car is red.

Forms

lelal'les

The forms

One sentence for each rule

Greyed letters are written and not pronounced. A tie marks a liaison, with the sound you hear under it. A label under a verb names its tense.

the

le with a masculine noun
Le train arrive dans cinq minutes.The train arrives in five minutes.
la with a feminine noun
La voiture de Marie est rouge.Marie's car is red.
l' before a vowel or a mute h
L'homme regarde l'oiseau dans l'arbre.The man is looking at the bird in the tree.
les with a plural noun
Les enfants jouent dans le jardin.The children are playing in the garden.
generic use: French keeps the article (j'aime le café)
Paul adore le fromage et déteste le poisson.Paul loves cheese and hates fish.

Words to compare

Close in meaning or in use. Each one has its own page.

Questions people ask

How do you say the in French?: Le, la, l', les. It means the.
What are the forms of le?: le, la, l', les.
When do you use le?: le with a masculine noun; la with a feminine noun; l' before a vowel or a mute h; les with a plural noun; generic use: French keeps the article (j'aime le café).
How do you use le in a sentence?: Le train arrive dans cinq minutes. (The train arrives in five minutes.)

Learn these words inside real sentences

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