On the 6th October 1889, at the foot of Butte Montmartre, the atmosphere was pretty festive: a new music-hall was opening in the Jardin de Paris, the Moulin Rouge, and it wasn’t going unnoticed. The public came in mass to Place Blanche, to discover this extravagant place with its huge dance floor, mirrors everywhere, and galleries that were the last word in elegance, to mix with the riffraff and girls of easy virtue, in a garden decorated with a big elephant with rides on donkeys for the ladies’pleasure. There was such a wild atmosphere that the show was not only on the stage but all around : aristocrats and louts in caps had fun side by side, in an atmosphere of total euphoria.
The masters of the place were Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler. They nicknamed their establishment Le Premier Palais des Femmes (the first Women Palace) and bet on their success, enthusiastically claiming to whoever listened that the Moulin Rouge would become a temple of music and dance.
I) Gender and number of nouns definite and indefinite articles
A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, idea, or quality. Articles, which are often used before nouns, are either definite or indefinite. A definite article identifies something or someone specific (the feather, the tutu). An indefinite article is more general (a feather, a tutu).
French nouns are either masculine or feminine. Most nouns add –s to form the plural. There are four forms of the French definite article.
Masculine | Feminine | |
Singular | Un rideau
Un spectateur |
Une jupe
Une femme |
Plural | Les rideaux
Les spectateurs |
Les jupes
Les femmes |
Note that both masculine and feminine singular nouns beginning with a vowel or a mute h take the definite article l’ (l’homme).
There are three forms of the French indefinite article.
Masculine | Feminine | |
Singular | Un rideau
Un spectateur |
Une jupe
Une femme |
Plural | Des rideaux
Des spectateurs |
Des jupes
Des femmes |
English has no plural indefinite article. French “des” is often equivalent to “some” or “any”.
EXERCICES
Au cabaret. Ajoutez à chaque substantif l’article définit et écrivez le syntagme (phrase) au pluriel.
Exemple : la demoiselle => les demoiselles
- Talon
- Dîner
- Orchestre
- Accessoire
- Plume
- Corset
- Chorégraphie
- Cocktail
- Cabaret
- Costume
Dans les coulisses. Ajoutez à chaque substantif l’article indéfini et écrivez le syntagme au pluriel.
Exemple : Un chapeau => des chapeaux
- Rouge à lèvre
- Fard à joue
- Chemisier
- Cintre
- Fauteuil
- Miroir
- Artiste
- Tableau
- Dessous
- Ruban
II) Plural nouns
Most French nouns form their plural by adding –s. There are some exceptions.
Singular nouns ending in –s, -x, or –z do not change form in the plural.
Le cours => Les cours Un prix => Des prix
Une fois => Des fois La voix => Les voix
Le mois => Les mois Le nez => Les nez
Most nouns ending in –al have a plural form ending in – aux.
L’animal = > les animaux L’hôpital => les hôpitaux
Le cheval => les chevaux L’idéal => les idéaux
Le général => les généraux Le journal => les journaux
There are some exceptions : le bal => les bals, le carnaval => les carnavals, le festival => les festivals, le récital => les récitals.
Nouns ending in –au, -eau, or –eu add –x to form the plural.
Le bateau => les bateaux Le cheveu => les cheveux
Le bureau => les bureaux Le jeu => les jeux
Exception : Le pneu (tire) => les pneus.
Most nouns ending in –ou add –s to form the plural, but some add –x.
Le clou => les clous Le trou => les trous
BUT
Le chou => les choux Le bijou => les bijoux
Le genou => les genoux Le caillou => les cailloux
Some nouns have irregular plurals.
Le ciel => les cieux Monsieur => messieurs
L’œil => les yeux Madame => Mesdames
Le travail => les travaux Mademoiselle => Mesdemoiselles
Family names in French do not change form in the plural.
-Vous connaissez les Durand? => Do you know the Durands?
-Non, mais je sais qu’ils sont les voisins des Chevalier. => No, but I know they are neighbors of the Chevaliers.
Some nouns are used mainly in the plural.
Les ciseaux => scissors Les moeurs => morals
Les frais => expenses, cost Les vacances => vacation
Les mathématiques, les maths => math
Some nouns, especially abstract nouns, have no plural.
La foi => faith La patience => patience
La paix => peace
Numbers and letters used as nouns also have no plural.
“Femme” s’écrit avec deux “m” => « Femme » is written with two m’s.
Il y a deux cinq dans mon numéro. => There are two fives in my phone number.