Articles (definite, indefinite, partitive)

    OCR
    GCSE

    The mastery of articles (définis, indéfinis, partitifs) constitutes a fundamental pillar of French morphosyntax. Unlike English, French requires determiners for almost all nouns to establish gender (masculine/feminine), number (singular/plural), and semantic intent (generalisation vs. specification). Candidates must demonstrate precision in selecting the correct article to convey meaning, particularly distinguishing between the specific, the general, and the partitive, while adhering to strict phonological rules such as elision and contraction.

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    Objectives
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    Exam Tips
    4
    Pitfalls
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    Key Terms
    4
    Mark Points

    What You Need to Demonstrate

    Key skills and knowledge for this topic

    • Award marks for correct gender and number agreement between articles and nouns
    • Credit the use of definite articles (le, la, les) with verbs of preference (aimer, préférer)
    • Penalise the failure to convert indefinite/partitive articles to 'de' in negative statements
    • Reward accurate contractions of 'à' and 'de' with definite articles (au, aux, du, des)

    Example Examiner Feedback

    Real feedback patterns examiners use when marking

    • "You used 'un' with 'aimer'; remember preference verbs always trigger the definite article (le/la/les)"
    • "Check your negative sentence: 'Je n'ai pas des' should be 'Je n'ai pas de'"
    • "Good use of 'au' for 'à le', but ensure you check the gender of the noun first"
    • "In this translation, 'some bread' requires the partitive 'du', not the indefinite 'un'"

    Marking Points

    Key points examiners look for in your answers

    • Award marks for correct gender and number agreement between articles and nouns
    • Credit the use of definite articles (le, la, les) with verbs of preference (aimer, préférer)
    • Penalise the failure to convert indefinite/partitive articles to 'de' in negative statements
    • Reward accurate contractions of 'à' and 'de' with definite articles (au, aux, du, des)

    Examiner Tips

    Expert advice for maximising your marks

    • 💡Always identify the gender of the noun before selecting the article in translation tasks
    • 💡Check every negative sentence in your writing: if it's not the verb 'être', change the article to 'de'
    • 💡Remember that 'jouer à' (sports) and 'jouer de' (instruments) trigger different article contractions
    • 💡In Reading tasks, use the article (le vs la) to identify the subject's gender if the name is ambiguous

    Common Mistakes

    Pitfalls to avoid in your exam answers

    • Using partitive articles with preference verbs (e.g., 'J'aime du foot' instead of 'le foot')
    • Retaining 'un/une/des' after a negative (e.g., 'Je n'ai pas des frères' instead of 'de frères')
    • Translating 'the' literally as 'le/la' without considering contractions (e.g., 'Je vais à le cinéma')
    • Omitting the article completely where French syntax requires it (e.g., 'Technologie est importante')

    Key Terminology

    Essential terms to know

    Likely Command Words

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