0In French, nouns (substantives m.) are either masculine (m.) or feminine (f.). Each gender has its own article.
| le jour m. | the day |
| la nuit f. | the night |
Les is the plural article for both masculine and feminine nouns.
| les hommes m. plural | the men |
| les femmes f. plural | the women |
When the noun begins with a vowel or a silent 'h', the le or la simply becomes l'.
| l'ombre m. | the shade |
| l'abeille f. | the bee |
| l'hôtel m. | the hotel |
