so I saw recently the word "la une" (=frontpage of a newspaper) and apparently there the la doesn't become l' 
anyone know more of these cases where the following word starts with a vowel yet the previous word doesn't contract into it?
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when words don't contract
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when words don't contract
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Re: when words don't contract
This is my quick response - first off the la une / le un / l'un(e) :
When it is a pronoun, rather than an article or number, it can be replaced by l'un / l'une
pronoun: a word that can function as a noun phrase used by itself and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g. I, you ) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g. she, it, this ).
When it is acting as an article or a number, you don't use elision.
Any time un is followed by a preposition, usually de, or by anything else other than a noun, it's a pronoun. Otherwise, un is either a number (one) or an article (a, an).
i.e. Numbers
For numbers you do not use elision.
- le onzième joueur de l'équipe de france
the eleventh player on the french team - Le un est passé devant
Number one got in the lead - La une est la première page
One is the first page
Yet, as with living languages, such as French, there are exceptions for purposes of Euphony
For other words
If the following word begins with a vowel or a h muet, then elision (contraction) occurs.
H aspiré / Aspirated h
H aspiré does not allow elisions or liaisons – the h acts like a consonant.
For the h muet, it is silent, and require elisions and liaisons.
Related articles
- https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/un-vs-lun/
- https://www.lawlessfrench.com/pronunciation/h-muet/
- https://www.lawlessfrench.com/pronunciation/h-aspire/
- https://www.thoughtco.com/a-la-une-vocabulary-1371080 Team, ThoughtCo. ""À La Une" Meaning in French." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/a-la-une-vocabulary-1371080.
- https://www.masteryourfrench.com/french ... h-aspired/
- https://www.thoughtco.com/un-vs-lun-1368965 Team, ThoughtCo. "When to Use 'L'Un' Instead of 'Un'." ThoughtCo, Dec. 6, 2021, thoughtco.com/un-vs-lun-1368965.
please correct anything I have wrong, or even better - explain it better !