The contracted articles: "Au, Aux, Du, Des"

What “contracted articles” are (and why they exist)

In French, à and de often come right before le / les.

To make pronunciation smoother, French contracts (merges) them into one word.

• à + le → au
• à + les → aux
• de + le → du
• de + les → des

Key point: this is not optional. In correct French, you do not say à le or de les.

Quick decision guide: which form do I choose?

1. Do you need à (to/at) or de (of/from)?
2. Look at the noun’s article in the dictionary / vocabulary list: le, la, l’, les.
3. Apply the contraction only if it is le or les.

What does NOT contract (common student mistake)

Only le and les contract.

• No contraction with la: à la banque, de la salade
• No contraction with l’: à l’hôtel, de l’eau

So you say: à la / à l’ and de la / de l’ (never *au* or *du* here).

Meaning: don’t confuse “du/des” with “some”

Important: du / des can have two different roles.

Self-check: If you can replace it with “from the / of the”, it’s usually the contraction.

Sound & liaison: what you should listen for

• au and aux sound the same: /o/.
  • au bureau = /o byʁo/
  • aux bureaux = /o byʁo/ (plural is understood by context)
• With aux and des, French often makes a liaison before a vowel or silent h:
  • aux enfants → /o zɑ̃fɑ̃/
  • des idées → /de zi.de/

Mini examples you can reuse at work (ready-made patterns)

• aller à + place
  • Je vais au bureau. / Je vais à la réunion. / Je vais aux bureaux.
• revenir de + place
  • Je reviens du supermarché. / Je reviens de la pharmacie. / Je reviens des courses.
• parler de + topic
  • On parle du projet. / On parle des priorités.

Final self-check (10 seconds)

1. Is it à or de?
2. Is the noun le or les?
   • If yes: use au / aux / du / des.
   • If no (la / l’): keep à la / à l’ / de la / de l’.
3. Am I trying to say “some” (partitive) or “of/from the” (contraction)?