Language/French/Grammar/Gender-and-Number-of-Nouns

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French Grammar → Nouns and Articles → Gender and Number of Nouns

In this lesson, you will learn about the gender and number of French nouns.

Gender of nouns

In French, all nouns have a gender - they are either masculine or feminine. Unlike in English, there are no hard and fast rules for which nouns are which gender, so it is essential to memorize them. There are, however, some patterns that can help you guess the gender of a noun.

Patterns

Some of the most common patterns for identifying the gender of a noun are:

• Nouns ending in -e are usually feminine, but there are many exceptions.
• Nouns ending in -age, -ege, -é, -éch, -ier, -isme, -ment, -oir, -sme, and -tre are usually masculine.
• Nouns ending in -ence, -ette, -iére, -ion, -sion, -son, -té, and -ure are usually feminine.
• Nouns that refer to people or animals with a particular gender (e.g. fille for girl, chat for cat) usually match that gender.
• Nouns borrowed from other languages (especially Greek and Latin) usually match the gender they have in their original language.

It's worth noting that there are many exceptions to these patterns!

Articles and gender

The gender of a noun also affects the article that accompanies it. There are two main types of articles: definite and indefinite.

Definite articles refer to specific things and are equivalent to "the" in English. In French, the definite articles vary depending on the gender of the noun:

French	IPA	English
le	lə	the (masculine singular)
la	la	the (feminine singular)
les	le	the (plural)

Indefinite articles refer to things in general and are equivalent to "a/an" in English. In French, the indefinite articles also vary depending on the gender of the noun:

French	IPA	English
un	œ̃	a/an (masculine singular)
une	yn	a/an (feminine singular)
des	de	some (plural)

For example:

• Le chat (masculine) - the cat
• La chaise (feminine) - the chair
• Un livre (masculine) - a book
• Une voiture (feminine) - a car
• Les livres (plural) - the books
• Des chats (plural) - some cats

Number of nouns

French nouns also have number - they can be singular or plural.

Forming plurals

The rules for forming plurals in French are relatively straightforward:

• For most nouns, add -s to the end for the plural: une maison (a house) → des maisons (houses).
• Nouns ending in -s, -x, or -z are usually the same in the singular and plural: un chat (a cat) → des chats (cats).
• Nouns ending in -au, -eau, or -eu add -x for the plural: un bureau (an office) → des bureaux (offices).
• Nouns ending in -al change to -aux in the plural: un cheval (a horse) → des chevaux (horses).
• Nouns ending in -ail change to -ails in the plural: un travail (a job) → des travaux (jobs).

Articles and number

Like in English, the articles that accompany French nouns also vary depending on whether they are singular or plural. The forms of the articles are:

French	IPA	English
le	lə	the (masculine singular)
la	la	the (feminine singular)
les	le	the (plural)
un	œ̃	a/an (masculine singular)
une	yn	a/an (feminine singular)
des	de	some (plural)

For example:

• Le chat (singular) - the cat
• Les chats (plural) - the cats

• La chaise (singular) - the chair
• Les chaises (plural) - the chairs

• Un livre (singular) - a book
• Des livres (plural) - some books

Common irregular nouns

Like in English, there are some French nouns that do not follow the regular patterns. Here are some common examples:

Singular	Plural	English
le cheval	les chevaux	horse/horses
le journal	les journaux	paper/papers
l'oeil (masc.)	les yeux	eye/eyes

Conclusion

In this lesson, you have learned about the gender and number of French nouns. Remember that there are patterns to help you guess a noun's gender, but many exceptions to these patterns. You have also learned the forms of French articles and how they change based on gender and number.

Sources

• How to Know the Gender of French Nouns with 80% Accuracy
• French grammar - Wikipedia

Upon wrapping up this lesson, take a look at these related pages: de when an adjective precedes the noun & Use of neutral le where no equivalent exists in English.

Table of Contents - French Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

  ---

Alphabet and Pronunciation

• The French Alphabet
• French Vowels and Consonants
• French Accent Marks
• Introductions and Greetings

  ---

Nouns and Articles

• Gender and Number of Nouns
• Definite and Indefinite Articles
• Partitive Articles

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Verbs and Tenses

• Present Tense of Regular Verbs
• Common Irregular Verbs
• Passé Composé
• Futur Proche

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Adjectives and Adverbs

• Agreement of Adjectives
• Comparative and Superlative Adjectives
• Formation and Use of Adverbs

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Negation and Interrogation

• Negation
• Interrogation

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Numbers and Time

• Cardinal and Ordinal Numbers
• Time and Dates

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Family and Relationships

• Family Members
• Romantic Relationships

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Food and Drink

• Food and Eating Habits
• Beverages and Drinking Habits

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Hobbies and Interests

• Sports and Fitness Activities
• Music and Entertainment

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Geography and Travel

• Regions and Cities in France
• Transportation and Accommodation

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French Culture and Arts

• French Cuisine and Gastronomy
• French Cinema and Literature

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French History and Society

• Major Events in French History
• French Society and Lifestyle

Other Lessons

• Use of l'on
• Well Better Worse
• Sentence modifying adverbs
• se as an alternative to an English passive
• Ordinal numbers as fractions
• Types of adverbs
• Adjectives preceded by de
• Masculine and feminine forms of adjectives — A change in written and spoken French
• Conjugation group 3 — verbs with infinitives which end in —re
• Futur Proche

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