Determinants
22 Apr 2026
My understanding is that they’re actually called “determin ers ” in English, but I think that sounds wack, so I’m going to keep calling them determin ants . 😤
Articles
Articles are the most common type of determinant. Unlike other determinants which add different types of detail, articles simply introduce a noun - indicating whether it’s specific, unspecific, or partial.
Definite
Definite articles are used for specific or known nouns . They’re the equivalent to the in English.
- le - masculine singular
- la - feminine singular
- l’ - singular before a vowel or silent h
- les - plural
Indefinite
Indefinite articles are used for unspecific or unknown nouns . They’re the equivalent to a , an , or some in English.
- un - masculine singular
- une - feminine singular
- des - plural
Exception: after a negation, des becomes de - Je n’ai pas de chien.
Partitive
Partitive articles are used for uncountable or partial quantities . They’re roughly equivalent to some in English, and have no direct equivalent in many languages.
- du - masculine singular
- de la - feminine singular
- de l’ - singular before a vowel or silent h
- des - plural
Possessive
Possessive determinants indicate ownership . They’re the equivalent to my , your , his , her , our , and their in English.
For the 1ˢᵗ/2ⁿᵈ/3ʳᵈ person singular forms, possessive determinants agree with the gender and number of the possessed noun ( ma , mon , mes ). For the nᵗʰ person plural forms, they just agree with the number ( notre , nos ).
- mon, ma, mes - my
- ton, ta, tes - your
- son, sa, ses - his / her / its
- notre, nos - our
- votre, vos - you guys’s
- leur, leurs - their
Note: mon/ton/son are used before feminine nouns starting with a vowel - mon amie .
See also: Possessive Pronouns .
Demonstrative
Demonstrative determinants are used to point to specific nouns . They’re the equivalent to this , that , these , and those in English.
- ce - masculine singular
- cet - masculine singular before a vowel or silent h
- cette - feminine singular
- ces - plural
cet is used before masculine nouns starting with a vowel or silent h - cet homme .
Interrogative
Interrogative determinants are used to ask which or what kind of noun is being referred to. They’re the equivalent to which or what in English.
- quel - masculine singular
- quelle - feminine singular
- quels - masculine plural
- quelles - feminine plural
The same forms are used as exclamatives , to express surprise or admiration about a noun. The distinction comes from context.
See also: Interrogative Pronouns .
Quantifiers
This is a broad catch-all for determinants that express quantity or amount. There are a few different subcategories here - indefinite , negative , totality , distributive - but it isn’t super important to know all the different types. Some examples:
- chaque - each / every
- autre(s) - other
- quelque(s) - some / a few
- plusieurs - several
- aucun(e) - no / not any
- tout / toute / tous / toutes - all / every
Cardinal Numbers
Cardinal numbers used directly before a noun act as determinants.
- deux - two
- dix - ten
- cent - one hundred
- un million - one million
Expressions
A group of quantity expressions formed with a noun or adverb followed by de . Unlike partitive or indefinite articles, the de here does not change with gender or number.
- beaucoup de - a lot of
- peu de - a little / few
- assez de - enough
- trop de - too much / too many
- un tas de - a heap of
- un kilo de - a kilo of