Definite articles (le, la, l', les) mean "the" and depend on the noun that follows. They are called definite because they are used to indicate a specific thing(s). For example: le livre - the (specific) book; la table - the table.Indefinite articles (un, une, des) mean "a" and also depend on the noun that follows. They are called indefinite because they are used to indicate an unspecific thing(s). For example: un livre - a (random, unspecific) book; une table - a table