In French, every noun has a determinant in front. A definite article (article définis) is used for something specific. In English, we use 'the'.
There are different terms to show gender (masculine or feminine) and number (one or more than one)
Le - singular, masculine (Le Livre - the book)
La - singular, feminine (La plage - the beach)
L' - singular, starts with a vowel (L'hiver - the winter)
Les - plural (Les pommes - the apples)