Using nouns
Nouns are used to name persons, animals, places, things, and abstract ideas. A noun is the nucleus of a noun phrase, which may include an article and one or several adjectives.
In this sentence, the noun phrase un ciel magnifique includes the article un, the noun ciel, and the adjective magnifique describing the sky.
Types of nouns
There are many different types of nouns such as proper, common, concrete, abstract, countable, noncountable, and collective nouns.
Proper and common nouns
Proper nouns are capitalized and used for names of specific places, animals, and people. Any other noun is considered a common noun and is not capitalized.
This sentence includes the proper nouns Seine and Paris as well as the concrete noun ville.
This sentence includes two abstract nouns, beauté and perception.
This sentence includes the noun or, a noncountable entity.
This sentence includes the collective noun armée.
Except for names of cities, French nouns are generally preceded by a masculine, feminine, or plural article. Remember that you must be able to identify nouns such as l’imageor l’arbre(which are contracted with the definite articles because they start with a vowel sound) as masculine (m.) or feminine (f.), in order to make the adjective describing that noun agree in gender and number with it.
Also remember to use the contractions of the preposition à or the preposition de with the articles le and les whenever appropriate.
Noncountable and collective nouns
Noncountable nouns do not have a plural form. In English fish and furniture are such nouns. Consider the following examples of French noncountable nouns. These are usually not used in the plural form except on very rare occasions as in poetic writings or in comparisons. Here are some such nouns:
Compare the following pairs of sentences and notice that these noncountable nouns are sometimes used in the plural form:
A collective noun refers to an entity that includes many individual components such as l’armée (the army) or le mobilier (furniture). These nouns can have a singular and a plural form.
Underline the common and proper nouns in the following paragraph.
Un groupe d’étudiants américains suivent un cours de français à la Sorbonne cet été. Leur professeur, M. Maximilien, est un spécialiste de littérature antillaise. Ils vont lire et analyser des écrivains et des poètes tels qu’Aimé Césaire, originaire de la Martinique et Guy Tirolien, originaire de la Guadeloupe. A la fin du cours, tout le monde va se réunir et fêter dans un restaurant antillais très connu par les Parisiens.
Write the name of the person or place that fits each description.
1. des montagnes hautes entre la France, la Suisse et l’Italie: ______________________________
2. un empereur d’origine corse: ______________________________
3. l’océan qui sépare la France des États-Unis: ______________________________
4. le président de la république Française en 2008: ______________________________
5. le pays au nord des États-Unis: ______________________________
6. le peintre français qui a peint les jardins de Giverny: ______________________________
Circle the correct noun in parentheses for each sentence.
1. (Le Français / Les Français) adorent visiter les différentes régions de leur pays.
2. Que ce soit dans les (alpes / Alpes) ou dans les (pyrénées / Pyrénées), il faut passer des vacances en montagne.
3. Les galets blancs de la Côte d’Azur sont aussi attrayants que (la rocaille / les rocailles) de la (corse / Corse).
4. Qui pourrait résister (à l’eau / aux eaux) bleue de la Méditerranée?
5. Les (bretons / Bretons) vous diraient que la (manche / Manche) n’est pas si mal que ça.
6. (La beauté / les beautés) des plages bretonnes et (la renommée / les renommées) des crêpes bretonnes en font une région très cotée aussi.
From the following word list, choose a noun that completes each sentence.
L’institutrice / l’image / pupitre / livre / petite fille / tableau
1. Je me rappelle bien mon école du temps où j’étais une ______________________________.
2. Nous étions deux élèves assis au même ______________________________.
3. Devant la classe, il y avait un grand ______________________________.
4. ______________________________ écrivait souvent au tableau noir.
5. Je me rappelle même mon premier _______________________ de lecture.
6. Et je me rappelle _______________________ d’un petit chien sur la couverture.
Complete each sentence using translations of the words in parentheses. Use the contractions au and du whenever necessary.
1. J’allais _______________________ tous les jours excepté dimanche. (to school)
2. Le dimanche, mon père n’allait pas ______________________________. (to the office)
3. Nous passions souvent la journée ______________________________. (to the park)
4. Le soir nous rentrions _______________________ bien fatigués. (home)
5. ______________________________, les enfants s’amusaient. (From morning to evening)
Circle the correct noun in parentheses for each sentence.
1. Lors de la deuxième guerre mondiale, _______________________ (une armée / des armées) venant de nombreux pays ont participé à la libération de la France.
2. ______________________________ qui participent aux Jeux Olympiques sont les meilleures. (L’équipe / Les équipes)
3. Les enfants jouent dans _______________________ (le sable / les sables)
4. J’ai mis trop de _______________________ dans la pâte. (farine / farines)
5. Tu aimes _______________________ du robinet? (l’eau / les eaux)
6. Tu préfères ______________________________? (l’or / les ors)
Use the following sentence fragments to build sentences.
1. conduit / l’antagonisme / à la violence
2. est / le fanatisme / à la paix / un obstacle
3. au 17e siècle / une monarchie absolue / était / la France
4. la pauvreté / à l’origine / est / de beaucoup de problèmes sociaux
5. mauvaise conscience / après avoir menti / nous avons
6. ne s’achète pas / le bonheur
Function of nouns
A noun can have various functions in a sentence. A noun can be the subject or object of the verb. It can also be the object of a preposition, or the complement/attribute of a noun, of an adjective, or of an adverb. As you learn more about the many functions a noun performs, you will be able to build better French sentences.
Nouns as the subjects of verbs
A noun (thing, animal, person, or abstract idea) that performs the action of the verb is the subject of the verb. You may review the function of noun-subjects in Unit 1.
In a French sentence, the subject is usually at the head of the sentence. In the previous sentences, cet arbre, la Seine, and le chat, respectively, performed the actions of the verb that followed. Occasionally an adverb or adverbial phrase such as quelquefois or chaque matin precedes the subject of the verb as in the following examples:
Complete each sentence with an appropriate noun-subject using translations of the phrases in parentheses.
1. Jean, __________________________________________________, est très mignon. (my girlfriend’s brother)
2. _______________________ la grondent toujours quand elle est en retard au dîner. (Her parents)
3. _______________________________ sont toujours indulgents. (My parents)
4. ________________________________________________ ont des roses magnifiques cette
année. (My garden’s beautiful rosebushes)
5. ___________________________________________________ adorent chasser les souris. (The big cats)
6. __________________________________________________ ont fait leurs nids dans nos arbres. (Some pretty birds)
Nouns as the objects of verbs
There exist several types of noun-objects. Any noun that receives the action of the verb is called a noun-object. To distinguish a direct object from an indirect object, you must first become aware of the presence or absence of a preposition in front of the noun receiving the action. In addition, if the preposition is à, then you must also distinguish an object-thing from an object-person.
Nouns as direct objects
If the noun-object (person or thing) is not preceded by a preposition, then it is a direct object of the verb. Consider the following sentences:
In the previous example, the noun phrase les ordres (thing) is the direct object of the verb donne.
In this example, the noun phrase sa copine (person) is the direct object of the verb appelle.
The direct object noun comes after the verb as in the following examples:
Nouns as indirect objects
When a noun refers to a person and receives the action of the verb indirectly while being introduced by the preposition à, then that noun is an indirect object. Remember that the preposition à contracts with the definite articles le and les; therefore if a noun referring to a person is preceded by the contracted article au or aux, this noun is an indirect object. The indirect object noun comes after the verb in a sentence.
A sentence often includes a direct and an indirect object as in the following sentences. The direct object noun then precedes the indirect object noun as in the following examples:
In the following sentence, note that the indirect object is a noun phrase including the adjective petit, which describes the noun garçon.
subject + verb + direct object + contraction + indirect object phrase
Vous + lancez + la balle + au + petit garçon.
You are throwing the ball to the little boy.
Choose a logical direct object to complete each sentence. Write the corresponding letter on the line provided.
Complete each sentence with a direct and indirect object noun. Use the nouns within parentheses, and remember to insert the proper preposition before the indirect object.
1. Nanette envoie souvent _______________________ ______________________________. (e-mails / Jean)
2. Le professeur rend _______________________ ______________________________. (essais / ses étudiants)
3. La petite fille donne _______________________ ______________________________. (bises / sa maman)
4. Le journaliste envoie _______________________ ______________________________. (articles / son journal)
5. Le papa fait _______________________ ______________________________. (reproches / son petit garçon)
6. Claude dit _______________________ ______________________________. (mots d’amour / Gigi)
Nouns as complements
Nouns can be complements of other nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. These complements are often linked to the noun, adjective, or adverb by the prepositions à, de, or en. Although not indispensable to the structure of the sentence, these complements contribute a significant characteristic to the noun, adjective, or adverb they complete. Learning to use them will help you build more complete and more detailed sentences.
Nouns as complements of nouns
Sometimes a noun is attached to another noun to add to its meaning or to give it description, thereby performing much like an adjective. Unlike adjectives, however, they do not express quality, nor can they be compared as adjectives can. Here are some examples of complements of nouns:
Sometimes the complement of a noun is linked to the noun-subject by a hyphen, or it simply follows the noun directly.
Translate the following sentences into French.
1. Give me a glass of water! ________________________________________________________
2. I would like a summer dress. _____________________________________________________
3. Pass me that coffee spoon. _______________________________________________________
4. She took a family leave. _________________________________________________________
5. I am going to order a steak with fries. _______________________________________________
6. Let’s look for the dining car! _____________________________________________________
Nouns as complements of adjectives or adverbs
Nouns can add a characteristic to an adjective by giving an additional detail concerning the quality, the substance, and the nature of the descriptive term. Here are some examples of nouns that are complements of adjectives:
Occasionally a noun can be the complement of an adverb.
subject + verb + adverb + de/en/à + noun
Elle + a agi + contrairement + à + la loi.
She acted against the law.
Translate the phrases in parentheses into French to complete each sentence.
1. Il a neigé hier soir et la route est ________________________________________. (covered with snow)
2. Attention! Cette tasse est ____________________________________________________. (filled with hot coffee)
3. Elle est ______________________________________________________________________à cette triste nouvelle. (stricken with grief)
4. Les dates sur ce sarcophage sont ______________________________________________. (written in hieroglyphs)
5. Cette chambre est _____________________________________________________________. (reserved for newlyweds)
6. Il vaut mieux faire cela _______________________________________________________. (according to the law)
Nouns as objects of a preposition
When a noun (a person or thing) receives the action of the verb and is preceded by a preposition, then it is part of a prepositional phrase. Many noun phrases in French include a preposition such as à (at, in, to), de (from, of), dans (in) or a prepositional phrase such as loin de (far from), près de (near), à côté de (next to). For more information on prepositional phrases, see Unit 15. A noun introduced by a preposition is the object of that preposition. Consider the following examples:
Now compare the following sentences, which include the preposition à followed by a noun.
Remember that when the noun-object refers to a person and is preceded by the preposition à, then the noun-object is called an indirect object of the verb. Therefore the noun phrase à sa copine is an indirect object of the verb téléphone in that example sentence. On the other hand, when the noun-object refers to a thing (l’appareil) and is preceded by the preposition à, then the noun-object is part of a prepositional phrase; it is not called an indirect object.
Translate the phrases in parentheses to complete each sentence.
1. Marianne était _______________________________________________________________________. (on vacation at the sea)
2. Elle allait tous les jours _______________________________________________________________________. (to the beach by bus)
3. Quel plaisir d’être couchée _______________________________________________________________________. (on the sand close to the sea)
4. De plus, Marianne était _______________________________________________________________________. (at her aunt’s who lives in Nice)
5. Bien sûr, Marianne était souvent _______________________________________________________________________. (on the phone with her mom)
6. Bientôt elle prendra _______________________________________________________________________.
(the train to go home to Paris)
Nouns as attributes of a noun
The noun-subject usually bears the main informative value in a sentence. The noun-attribute gives secondary information about the noun-subject. The noun-subject and the noun-attribute are often linked by a verb of being rather than by a verb of action. Verbs of being are such verbs as être (to be), sembler (to seem), paraître (to appear/seem), devenir (to become), and rester(to stay). Consider the following examples:
Noun in apposition to another noun
When a noun completes another noun in a sentence without the intervention of a preposition, it is simply juxtaposed to it, and the two nouns are separated by a comma.
noun-subject + noun in apposition + de + complement of noun + predicate
Le lion, + roi + de + la jungle, + règne sur le monde animal.
The lion, king of the jungle, rules over the animal world.
In this example, the noun-subject is le lion. But the noun roi designates the same subject le lion, and completes its function of subject of the verb règne. Note that the noun phrase that describes the main noun is tucked in between commas.
Place the sentence fragments in the correct order to make complete sentences. Use correct punctuation.
1. des Michelin / achetez / pneus durables
2. est connue / «La Vie en rose» / dans le monde entier / chanson d’Édith Piaf
3. région montagneuse / est un endroit très rural / le Massif Central
4. Saint-Tropez / est une ville accueillante / berceau des célébrités françaises
5. ancienne résidence des papes / offre des expositions toute l’année / le palais d’Avignon
6. est le siège / Strasbourg / ville européenne / du Conseil de l’Europe
7. est un chanteur Rap / MC Solar / né à Dakar
8. président de la république française / Sarkozy / en 2007 / a été élu