Gender of Nouns in French

This section explains French gender nouns and includes tips for students studying foundation and higher tiers. In French, every noun has a gender – it is either masculine (le, un) or feminine (la, une). There is no neutral gender, and the gender of nouns must be memorised.

Masculine Nouns (Les Noms Masculins)

Masculine nouns are generally used with the article "le" (the) or "un" (a).

Examples of Masculine Nouns:

• Le garçon (the boy)
• Un homme (a man)
• Le livre (the book)
• Un ordinateur (a computer)

Feminine Nouns (Les Noms Féminins)

Feminine nouns are usually used with the article "la" (the) or "une" (a).

Examples of Feminine Nouns:

• La fille (the girl)
• Une femme (a woman)
• La table (the table)
• Une voiture (a car)

Nouns Ending in -e

A common rule is that nouns ending in -e are often feminine, but there are exceptions.

Feminine Examples:

• La maison (the house)
• Une porte (a door)
• Une chaise (a chair)

Masculine Exceptions:

• Le problème (the problem)
• Le programme (the program)
• Le système (the system)

Nouns Ending in -age, -aire, -isme, -ment

These endings are typically masculine.

Examples:

• Le fromage (the cheese)
• Un hôtel (a hotel)
• Le capitalisme (capitalism)
• Un moment (a moment)

Nouns Ending in -ion, -té, -ette, -ance, -ence

These endings are usually feminine.

Examples:

• La nation (the nation)
• Une liberté (a freedom)
• Une baguette (a baguette)
• La chance (the luck)
• L'expérience (the experience)

Irregular Nouns

Some nouns do not follow typical rules, so they must be memorised.

Examples:

• Le foie (the liver) – masculine
• La mer (the sea) – feminine
• Le temps (the weather/time) – masculine
• La pluie (the rain) – feminine

Compound Nouns

The gender of compound nouns (two words joined together) is usually determined by the gender of the last word in the compound.

Examples:

• Le portemanteau (the coat hanger) – masculine (from manteau)
• La salle à manger (the dining room) – feminine (from salle)

Higher Tier: General Rules for Determining Gender

While many rules exist for recognising the gender of French nouns, there are no absolute guarantees. The gender of a word must often be memorised, but these guidelines can help:

• Masculine indicators: Nouns related to males (le frère – brother), most days of the week, months, and seasons are masculine.
• Feminine indicators: Nouns related to females (la sœur – sister), most names of cars, and names of rivers are feminine.

Examples for Higher Tier Understanding

Here are some more challenging examples that require deeper knowledge of gender rules.

Masculine:

• Le cinéma (the cinema)
• Un hôtel (a hotel)
• Le téléphone (the telephone)

Feminine:

• La télévision (the television)
• Une radio (a radio)
• La musique (the music)

Remember, gender is crucial in French grammar because it affects articles, adjectives, and pronouns. You should practice recognising the gender of nouns regularly. To make this easier, try associating words with pictures or contexts that help you remember whether they are masculine or feminine.

Useful Tip:

• Try memorising groups of nouns together. For example, a list of jobs can help you identify patterns. Le médecin (doctor – masculine) and la médecin (female doctor – feminine) both refer to the same profession but change gender based on the person’s sex.