Spot the mistake: à le, de le and missing elisions
À le cinéma, de les billets, je aime: tap the forms French never allows in eight sentences, and fix them with au, du, des and the apostrophe.
- A1
- 8 sentences
- Tap the wrong word
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
French contracts à + le → au, à + les → aux, de + le → du, de + les → des. Short words like je, ne, le, la, que, de drop their vowel before a vowel or silent h: j'aime, n'a, l'hôtel, qu'il. À la, à l', de la, de l' never change.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learnRed watch out
Tap the word that's wrong in each sentence.
I'm going to the cinema tonight.
À + le always becomes au.
It's the teacher's book.
De + le becomes du.
I really like coffee.
Je elides before a vowel: j'aime.
She's talking to the children.
À + les becomes aux.
He doesn't have a car.
Ne elides before a vowel: il n'a pas.
The price of the tickets has gone up.
De + les becomes des.
The hotel is near the station.
Silent h: l'hôtel, like a vowel.
I think he's right.
Que elides before il, elle, on.
Why is it au, not à le, in French?
| Never | Always |
|---|---|
| à le | au |
| à les | aux |
| de le | du |
| de les | des |
| je aime / le hôtel | j'aime / l'hôtel |
Contractions only happen with le and les: à la gare, à l'école, de la mer stay as they are. Elision happens before a vowel sound; an aspirated h blocks it: le héros, la hache, le haricot. Dictionaries mark these words with an asterisk or apostrophe.
- Toi
Je suis à le… euh, au café de la gare.
I'm at the… er, the station café.
- Ami
Ok, j'arrive. Tu veux que j'apporte les clés de l'appartement ?
OK, I'm coming. Do you want me to bring the flat keys?
- Toi
Oui, merci ! Et le livre du prof aussi.
Yes, thanks! And the teacher's book too.