In French every noun is either masculine or feminine — not just people, but books, tables and cakes too. The gender decides which word you use for the and a:

	Masculine	Feminine
the	le livre	la table
the — before a vowel or silent h	**l'**ami	**l'**assiette
a / an	un livre	une table
the — plural	les livres	les tables
some — plural	des livres	des tables

In the plural, gender disappears: it's always les or des. Most nouns add a silent -s: le verre → les verres. Nouns in -eau add -x: le gâteau → les gâteaux.

English often says nothing where French needs des: J'ai des amis à Paris. — I have friends in Paris.

Words for this lesson: le livre (book), la table, l'ami (friend), l'assiette (plate, feminine), le verre (glass), la bouteille (bottle), le pain (bread), le gâteau (cake), l'eau (water, feminine). And two small helpers: Où est… ? / Où sont… ? — Where is…? / Where are…? — and sur — on: sur la table.