In this grammar lesson you will learn how to contract articles in French.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- why you have to contract articles
- what contracts in French
- what doesn’t contract in French
- how contractions are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on how to contract articles in French
- how to practice with flashcards on how to contract articles in French
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson, you will know all about how to contract articles in French!
Table of Contents
Why You Have to Contract
When you are going to a location, or are coming from a location, you will use prepositions.
When you go to a location you will use the following preposition
- à = to/in + (a place)
When you come from a location you will use the following preposition
- de = from + (a place)
However when these are followed by the definite articles le or les, then these prepositions will contract and form one word.
Let’s take a look at the following example.
Imagine that you wish to say “I’m going to the park”.
le parc
Je vais à le parc. [wrong]
Je vais au parc. [correct]
I’m going to the park.
So instead of saying à le, you would say au as it contracts.
But, how do you know what contracts and what doesn’t?
Well, the following chapters explain exactly that!
What Contracts in French
| Preposition + Article | Contraction |
| à + le | au |
| à + les | aux |
| de + le | du |
| des + les | des |
le parc
Je vais au parc.
I’m going to the park.
les toilettes
Je vais aux toilettes.
I’m going to the toilet.
le Canada
Je viens du Canada.
I’m from Canada.
les Etats-Unis
Je viens des Etats-Unis.
I’m from the United States.
What Doesn’t Contract in French
| Preposition + Article | Contraction |
| à + la | no contraction |
| à + l’ | no contraction |
| de + la | no contraction |
| de + l’ | no contraction |
la banque
Je vais à la banque.
I’m going to the bank.
l’université
Je vais à l’université.
I’m going to the university.
la maison
Je viens de la maison.
I’m coming from home.
l’hôtel
Je viens de l’hôtel.
I’m coming from the hotel.
Example Sentences on How to Contract Articles in French
The final section of this lesson on how to contract articles in French is about seeing sentences with contractions.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on how to contract articles in French through examples.
This section contains all of the previous sentences, neatly organised in one place.
le parc
Je vais au parc.
I’m going to the park.
les toilettes
Je vais aux toilettes.
I’m going to the toilet.
le Canada
Je viens du Canada.
I’m from Canada.
les Etats-Unis
Je viens des Etats-Unis.
I’m from the United States.
la banque
Je vais à la banque.
I’m going to the bank.
l’université
Je vais à l’université.
I’m going to the university.
la maison
Je viens de la maison.
I’m coming from home.
l’hôtel
Je viens de l’hôtel.
I’m coming from the hotel.
Quiz Yourself on How to Contract Articles in French
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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Using my experience and by doing research I created Language Atlas, a platform where people can learn French and Spanish in the most effective and efficient way.
I created free lessons and quizzes so that there would always be a easy and accessible way for people to learn or brush up on their language skills.
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The courses of Language Atlas have:
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