Language/French/Grammar/Gender-of-compound-nouns

Gender of compound nouns in French

Compound nouns fall into six main types in French, and it is possible to determine broadly the gender of a compound on the basis of the type it belongs to (although with some exceptions).

Adjective + noun compounds

Adjective + noun compounds normally take their gender from the noun. The noun part of the compound is highlighted in the following examples:

French	English
un arc-boutant	a buttress
un bas-côté	a verge (e.g. of a motorway)
une basse-cour	a farmyard
une belle-fille	a daughter-in-law
un cerf-volant	a kite
un coffre-fort	a safe
un grand-parent	a grandparent
un rond-point	a roundabout

• Exception: un rouge-gorge 'a robin'.

Noun + noun compounds

In noun + noun compounds the gender is determined by the more important noun, un camion-citerne 'a tanker (lorry)' is a type of camion 'lorry', so camion is the more important noun, and the compound is masculine, un hommegrenouille 'a frogman' is a type of homme 'man' (not a type of frog!), so home is the more important noun, and the compound is masculine. The important nouns are highlighted in the following examples:

French	English
une auto-école	a driving school
un bateau-mouche	a Parisian tourist boat
un bateau-citerne	a tanker (ship)
un camion-citerne	a tanker (lorry)
un chou-fleur	a cauliflower
un homme-grenouille	a frogman
un hôtel-Dieu	a hospital
une idée-force	a central idea
un mot-clé	a keyword
un oiseau-mouche	a humming-bird
du papier-toilette	toilet paper
une pause-café	a coffee break
une porte-fenêtre	a french window
un timbre-poste	a stamp
une voiture-restaurant	a restaurant car
un wagon-lit	a sleeping car

Adverb + noun compounds

In adverb + noun compounds, the compound is usually the same gender as the noun, but there are exceptions:

French	English
une arriere-pensee	a second thought
l'arrière-plan (m)	the background
une contre-offensive	a counter-offensive
un demi-tarif	a half-price ticket
une demi-bouteille	a half bottle
un hors-bord	a speedboat
une mini-jupe	a miniskirt
un haut-parleur	a loudspeaker
un sans-travail	an unemployed person

• Exceptions: l'après-guerre (m) 'the post-war period', un en-tête 'a letterhead', le sans-gêne 'the lack of embarrassment'.

Noun + prepositional phrase compounds

The gender of noun + prepositional phrase compounds is usually that of the first noun:

French	English
un aide-de-camp	an aide-de-camp
un arc-en-ciel	a rainbow
un chef d'ceuvre	a masterpiece
un coup d'ceil	a glance
un coup de pied	a kick
un croc-en-jambe	a trip
une langue-de-chat	a long, flat, finger biscuit
la main d'ceuvre	the workforce
un mont-de-piété	a pawnshop
une pomme de terre	a potato
un pot-de-vin	a bribe

• Exceptions to this generalization are: un tête-à-queue 'a spin' (head to tail in a car), un tête-à-tête 'a tête à tête conversation'.

Verb + noun compounds

Verb + noun compounds are usually masculine:

French	English
un abat-jour	a lampshade
un accroche-coeur	a (kiss) curl
un appui-tête	a headrest
des casse-noisettes	nutcrackers
un cache-nez	a scarf
un coupe-papier	a paper-knife
un couvre-lit	a bedspread
un cure-dents	a toothpick
un essuie-mains	a hand towel
un gratte-ciel	a skyscraper
un ouvre-boîtes	a tin-opener
un pare-brise	a windscreen
un pare-chocs	a bumper
un porte-avions	an aircraft carrier
un porte-bagages	a luggage rack
un porte-monnaie	a wallet
un soutien-gorge	a bra
un taille-crayons	a pencil sharpener
un tire-bouchon	a corkscrew
un trompe-l'oeil	a "trompe l'oeil' (art)

Verbal phrase compounds

Compounds constructed from verbal phrases are masculine:

French	English
le manque-à-gagner	lost revenue
le on-dit	rumour, gossip
le ouï-dire	hearsay
un m'as-tu-vu	a show-off
le qu'en dira-t-on	the 'what might people say'
un faire-part	an announcement card (weddings, births, funerals)
un laisser-passer	a pass (document)
le savoir-faire	know-how