l'
/l/article★Beginner
grammar
A contraction of the definite article 'le' before a word beginning with a vowel or silent h.
L'élève lit un livre.
The student is reading a book.
L'horloge est cassée.
The clock is broken.
💡
Used before feminine singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent h to avoid hiatus (two vowels together).
Collocations
l'amithe friendl'heurethe hourl'écolethe school
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related Phrases
l'amiphrase
the friend
l'heurephrase
the hour
l'écolephrase
the school
💡Pro Tip
Avoiding Hiatus
Use 'l'' before feminine nouns starting with vowels or silent h to avoid awkward pronunciation.
⚡Gold Rule
Gender Agreement
Remember that 'l'' is always feminine, even though it doesn't end with an 'e'.
📖Word Origin
Derived from the contraction of 'le' before vowels or silent h to improve pronunciation.
📝Usage Notes
Always used before feminine singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent h. Not used before masculine nouns.
Word Breakdown
l'
the (feminine singular before vowels/h)
contractionDictionnaire Français-Anglais