le/lə/
determiner / pronoun / prop.n. · A1 · Frequency 2
determinermasculine
Meanings
definite article
Masculine singular form.
his; her; its
Replaces possessive determiners in expressions like body parts.
Indicates unit frequency or price, equivalent to 'a' or 'per'
Used to express frequency, price, or units, e.g., 'le kilo' means 'per kilogram'.
Examples
Le boulanger ouvre sa boutique à six heures.
The baker opens his shop at six o'clock.
Elle se lave le visage avant de sortir.
She washes her face before going out.
Les pommes coûtent trois euros le kilo.
The apples cost three euros per kilogram.
Collocations
- le chat noirthe black cat
- se laver le visageto wash one's face
- le kilo de pommesa kilo of apples
Common mistakes
Je vais à le marché.
Je vais au marché.
The determiner le must contract with the preposition à to form au; à le is not used here. le is the masculine singular definite article.
Related words
pronounmasculine
Meanings
him; it
Direct object pronoun for a masculine or neuter singular noun, usually placed before the verb.
so
Stands for a complement after être and is often left untranslated.
Examples
Ce dossier est urgent, je le traite dès ce matin.
This file is urgent, so I will deal with it first thing this morning.
Collocations
- le livre est sur la tablethe book is on the table
- je le vois tous les joursI see him every day
- il le est très fierhe is very proud of it
Common mistakes
Je le parle souvent.
Je lui parle souvent.
With the meaning “speak to someone,” le cannot be used as the indirect object; le normally refers to a masculine or neuter singular direct object, so lui is required.
Related words
Grammar note
As a definite article, le is used before masculine singular nouns to indicate specificity; as an object pronoun, le refers to a previously mentioned masculine or neuter singular noun and functions as a direct object.
prop.n.common
Meanings
a surname from Vietnamese
Examples
Le est indiqué comme nom de famille vietnamien dans ce registre.
Le is listed as a Vietnamese surname in this register.
La chercheuse a classé Le parmi les noms de famille vietnamiens.
The researcher classified Le among Vietnamese surnames.
Collocations
- Le NguyenThe Vietnamese surname Nguyen
- Le familleThe Le family
Common mistakes
Le est un article défini.
Le est un nom propre dans ce cas.
Learners often mistake “Le” for the definite article, but here it is a proper noun as a Vietnamese surname.
Related words
synonymNguyễna common Vietnamese surname