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Un, Une, Des: French Indefinite Articles
Un, une, and des are the French indefinite articles — the words for "a", "an", and plural "some". Un goes before masculine nouns, une before feminine nouns, and des before any plural:
Tu as un stylo ?
Elle a une idée.
Ils ont des enfants.
Two things trip up English speakers: un and une also mean "one", and des is required where English says nothing at all. For "the", see definite articles.
In short
- Un + masculine noun, une + feminine noun: un vélo, une table. Both also mean "one".
- Des + plural noun = "some" — even when English drops it: j’ai des questions = "I have questions".
- After a negative, all three usually become de: elle n’a pas de chien (not after être — see negation).
un (masculine)une (feminine)des (plural)de after negation· hover a highlighted word for its label
Un or une: the noun decides
Every French noun is masculine or feminine (noun gender), and the article follows the noun, not the thing: un vélo, une table. There is also no separate word for "one" — un café is both "a coffee" and "one coffee", and counting simply reuses the same words (French numbers).
She has a brother and a sister.
— un before masculine frère, une before feminine sœur.
Do you want one croissant or two?
— Same word for "a" and "one" — context decides what un means.
Des: the plural "some" English drops
English happily leaves plural nouns bare — "I have questions", "she bought tomatoes". French almost never does: a plural noun needs its article, so the sentence keeps des even though nothing in the English reminds you to say it.
J’ai des questions.
One refinement for careful French: before an adjective + noun, des becomes de.
He has friends in Lyon.
— English drops "some"; French keeps des.
She always has good ideas.
— In careful French, de replaces des before adjective + noun.
Two places the article disappears
In a negative sentence, un, une, and des usually collapse to de — the article rule explained under negation.
After être, a profession or nationality takes no article at all — il est médecin — though the article returns with c’est: c’est un médecin. That contrast belongs to c’est vs il est.
One boundary note: for "some" before uncountable nouns — some bread, some water — French uses du and de la, covered under du, de la, des.
We don’t have a car.
— After the negative, une disappears — just pas de.
Common mistakes
✗Elle porte un montre élégante.
✓Elle porte une montre élégante.
Montre is feminine, so it takes une — the French noun’s gender chooses the article, not the English word "a".
✗J’ai questions pour toi.
✓J’ai des questions pour toi.
English says "I have questions", but a French plural noun needs its article: des questions.
✗Il a un idée pour le projet.
✓Il a une idée pour le projet.
Idée is feminine, so the indefinite article is une.
Frequently asked questions
Does des mean "some" in French?
Yes. Des is the plural of un/une and means "some", but English usually leaves it out: j’ai des questions is simply "I have questions". French almost never lets a plural noun stand bare, so keep des even when English says nothing.
What is the difference between un and une?
Both mean "a", "an", or "one"; the noun’s gender decides which to use. Un goes with masculine nouns (un livre, un ami) and une with feminine nouns (une table, une amie).
Is un the same as the French number one?
Yes — un and une double as both "a" and "one", and French does not distinguish them: j’ai un frère covers "I have a brother" and "I have one brother" alike.
Memory tip
Learn every noun with its article — un vélo, une clé — never the bare word. The article stores the gender for free, so choosing between un and une becomes automatic.
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