L'

Question

I still don't understand when do you do l'.

Gruff Davies · Accepted Answer

Hi Megan,

If the next word starts with the letter a, e, i, o or u, then you contract le or la to l'.

If it starts with an h, but the h is silent/mute/unpronounced when the word is spoken (so in effect the next letter which is a vowel is the real first letter) then again, contract le or la to l'.

It just makes the words a bit easier to say and that's reflected in how they're written.

Does this answer your question?

Joakim Rosqvist · Answer

Are there no French nouns beginning with "y" ?

Laura K Lawless · Answer

Joakim,

Yes, there are, but you don't contract in front of them: le yaourt, le yurt, etc.

Gruff Davies · Answer

You would contract "le" + "y" though (the adverbial pronoun) - again because it's pronounced as a vowel here. "Je l'y rejoins" for example.

Megan Jones · Answer

Yes that answers my question.
Thanks

Janis Kenyon · Answer

When the following word begins with a vowel.

Farhan Hussain · Answer

I think its when the word you are attaching the Le/La to, starts with a vowel or starts with a silent h (I heard there was no way to know when a silent h comes, you just have to learn the word) and then you can use L'

my assumption is L' is done for the flow of pronounciation.