3. The English indefinite article a or an is rendered by un, masculine, and une, feminine. Declined in the two genders it stands thus:
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Masculine. Nom. un homme, a man. Gen. d'un homme, of a man (a man's). Dat. à un homme, to a man. Acc. un homme, a man. Abl. d'un homme, from a man. |
Feminine. une femme, a woman. d'une femme, of a woman (a woman's). à une femme, to a woman. une femme, a woman. d'une femme, from a woman. |
§ 12. The Partitive Article.
This article is used when in English we wish to express a part of anything, indicating it by some or any. The following presentation will show that the article expressing this is analogous with the genitive in both numbers:
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Masculine. du pain, some, any bread. de l'argent, some, any money. des oeufs, some, any eggs. |
Feminine. de la viande, some, any meat. de l'encre, some, any ink. des cerises, some, any cherries. |
Observation.--Some, in the sense of a certain one, must be rendered in accordance with this meaning, as: une certaine femme, some woman = a certain woman. In the plural we may say: des femmes, some women.
§ 13. Gender and Number of Adjectives.
The adjective varies its termination to accord with the gender and number of the noun it qualifies, as:
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Un bon garçon. |
Une bonne fille. |