French plural articles work in much the same way as singular articles, but with fewer forms. The plural definite article has one form for both masculine and feminine nouns. The plural indefinite article also has one form for both genders.

Plural articles often cause trouble for English speakers because French uses them in places where English often uses no article at all.

The plural indefinite article

French has one plural indefinite article:

• des

It usually means:

• some
• a few
• plural nouns with no article in English

Examples:

• J’ai des livres. “I have some books.”
• Elle a des fleurs. “She has some flowers.”
• Nous avons des amis à Paris. “We have friends in Paris.”
• Ils cherchent des appartements. “They are looking for apartments.”

Unlike singular un and une, des works with both masculine and feminine nouns.

Examples:

• Des arbres “Some trees”
• Des voitures “Some cars”
• Des chiens “Some dogs”
• Des maisons “Some houses”

Main use of des

Like singular un and une, des often introduces something not yet known or not yet identified.

Examples:

• J’ai vu des enfants dans le parc. “I saw some children in the park.”
• Elle a acheté des chaussures. “She bought some shoes.”

After the thing has been introduced, French often moves to the definite article.

Examples:

• J’ai vu des enfants dans le parc. Les enfants jouaient au ballon. “I saw some children in the park. The children were playing ball.”
• Elle a acheté des chaussures. Les chaussures sont chères. “She bought some shoes. The shoes are expensive.”

The plural definite article

French has one plural definite article:

• les

It means:

• the

Examples:

• Les livres sont sur la table. “The books are on the table.”
• Les fenêtres sont ouvertes. “The windows are open.”
• Les étudiants arrivent. “The students are arriving.”
• Les fleurs sentent bon. “The flowers smell nice.”

Unlike singular le and la, les does not change according to gender.

Specific versus non-specific meaning

This difference often decides whether des or les is needed.

Compare:

• Je cherche des médecins. “I am looking for doctors.”
  Any doctors.
• Je cherche les médecins. “I am looking for the doctors.”
  Particular doctors.
• Elle veut acheter des robes. “She wants to buy dresses.”
  No specific dresses.
• Elle veut acheter les robes. “She wants to buy the dresses.”
  Specific dresses.

General statements

French often uses les where English uses no article.

Examples:

• J’aime les chats. “I like cats.”
• Les chiens sont fidèles. “Dogs are loyal.”
• Les vacances coûtent cher. “Holidays are expensive.”
• Les enfants apprennent vite. “Children learn quickly.”

English often leaves out “the” in such cases.

Body parts

French commonly uses les with body parts when ownership is already obvious.

Examples:

• Je me lave les mains. “I wash my hands.”
• Elle se brosse les dents. “She brushes her teeth.”
• Il ferme les yeux. “He closes his eyes.”
• Je me suis cassé les orteils. “I broke my toes.”

English often uses possessive words instead.

Days used in a repeated sense

French often uses les when speaking about repeated days.

Examples:

• Les lundis, je travaille à la maison. “On Mondays I work at home.”
• Les samedis, nous allons au marché. “On Saturdays we go to the market.”

This suggests habit or repetition.

Compare:

• Le lundi, je travaille à la maison. “On Mondays I work at home.”
• Les lundis, je travaille à la maison. “On Mondays I work at home.”

Both can express repeated action, though le lundi often treats Monday as a general idea, while les lundis points more directly to repeated Mondays.

Plural nouns known from the setting

French uses les when the speaker assumes the listener knows which things are meant.

Examples:

• Ferme les fenêtres. “Close the windows.”
• Passe-moi les clés. “Pass me the keys.”
• Les voisins sont partis. “The neighbours have left.”

With groups seen as a whole

French often uses les for classes of people or things.

Examples:

• Les Français aiment le pain. “French people like bread.”
• Les médecins travaillent longtemps. “Doctors work long hours.”
• Les oiseaux chantent le matin. “Birds sing in the morning.”

Plural article changes before adjectives

This is one of the most important special points with des.

When des comes before an adjective that stands before the noun, it often changes to de.

Examples:

• Des livres intéressants “Some interesting books”
• De grands arbres “Some tall trees”
• De petites maisons “Some small houses”
• De beaux jardins “Some beautiful gardens”

Not:

• Des grands arbres
• Des petits chats

But this change does not always happen in fixed phrases or expressions where the adjective and noun form a close unit.

Examples:

• Des jeunes gens “Some young people”
• Des petits pois “Some peas”

Cases where English uses no article but French uses des

Examples:

• J’achète des pommes. “I am buying apples.”
• Nous avons des problèmes. “We have problems.”
• Elle porte des lunettes. “She is wearing glasses.”

English often leaves out “some”.

Related words and other ways to express similar ideas

French can use stronger or more exact forms instead of des.

• quelques “a few” or “some”
• plusieurs “several”
• certains “certain”
• beaucoup de “many”
• un grand nombre de “a large number of”

Examples:

• J’ai quelques idées. “I have a few ideas.”
• Elle connaît plusieurs langues. “She knows several languages.”
• Certains étudiants sont absents. “Certain students are absent.”
• Nous avons beaucoup de livres. “We have many books.”

For stronger identification than les:

• ces “these”
• ces… là “those”

Examples:

• Je veux ces livres. “I want these books.”
• J’aime ces fleurs-là. “I like those flowers.”

Common pairs to compare

• Des livres “Some books”
• Les livres “The books”
• Des maisons “Some houses”
• Les maisons “The houses”
• Des amis “Some friends”
• Les amis “The friends”
• Des idées “Some ideas”
• Les idées “The ideas”

Summary

• des usually means “some” or introduces non-specific plural things.
• les means “the”.
• des often introduces things for the first time.
• les often points to known or identified things.
• French often uses les where English uses no article at all.
• Before many adjectives placed before the noun, des often changes to de.
• French often uses plural articles where English simply uses a bare plural noun.