Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Grammar/Nouns-which-change-meaning-when-they-change-gender"
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<div style="font-size:300%"> Nouns which change meaning when they change gender</div> | <div style="font-size:300%"> Nouns which change meaning when they change gender</div> | ||
__TOC__ | __TOC__ | ||
Bonjour! French learners 😀 | Bonjour! French learners 😀 | ||
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Here is a list of French nouns that have different meanings when they are masculine and when they are feminine. | Here is a list of French nouns that have different meanings when they are masculine and when they are feminine. | ||
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|une crêpe | |une crêpe | ||
|a pancake | |a pancake | ||
|- | |||
|un espace | |||
|a space | |||
|une espace | |||
|a space (in printing) | |||
|- | |- | ||
|un critique | |un critique | ||
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|une critique | |une critique | ||
|a criticism | |a criticism | ||
|- | |- | ||
|un laque | |un laque | ||
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|une laque | |une laque | ||
|a hair lacquer or gloss paint | |a hair lacquer or gloss paint | ||
|- | |||
|un manche | |||
|a handle | |||
|une manche | |||
|a sleeve | |||
|- | |- | ||
|un livre | |un livre | ||
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|une livre | |une livre | ||
|a pound (money or weight) | |a pound (money or weight) | ||
|- | |- | ||
|un manoeuvre | |un manoeuvre | ||
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|une manoeuvre | |une manoeuvre | ||
|a manoeuvre | |a manoeuvre | ||
|- | |||
|un mode | |||
|a way of. . . | |||
|la merci | |||
|mercy | |||
|- | |- | ||
|un merci | |un merci | ||
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|la mémoire | |la mémoire | ||
|memory (faculty of) | |memory (faculty of) | ||
|- | |- | ||
|(un mode de vie) | |(un mode de vie) | ||
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|une moule | |une moule | ||
|a mussel | |a mussel | ||
|- | |||
|le physique | |||
|appearance | |||
|la physique | |||
|physics | |||
|- | |- | ||
|un pendule | |un pendule | ||
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|a clock | |a clock | ||
|- | |- | ||
| | |un poste | ||
| | |a job, TV or radio set | ||
|la | |la poste | ||
| | |the Post Office | ||
|- | |- | ||
|un poêle | |un poêle | ||
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|a frying pan | |a frying pan | ||
|- | |- | ||
|un | |un somme | ||
|a | |a nap | ||
| | |une somme | ||
| | |a sum (of money) | ||
|- | |- | ||
|le solde | |le solde | ||
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|la solde | |la solde | ||
|pay (usually with reference to soldier's pay) | |pay (usually with reference to soldier's pay) | ||
|- | |- | ||
|un tour | |un tour |
Revision as of 13:34, 26 November 2021
Bonjour! French learners 😀
Nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. Unfortunately, there is no easy rules for predicting the gender of a noun.
Here is a list of French nouns that have different meanings when they are masculine and when they are feminine.
Please write a comment below if you know of other similar nouns! 👌
Examples
French | English | French | English |
---|---|---|---|
un aide | a helper | l'aide (f) | help |
un chèvre | a goat's cheese | une chèvre | a goat |
un crème | a white coffee | la crème | cream |
le crêpe | crêpe (cloth) | une crêpe | a pancake |
un espace | a space | une espace | a space (in printing) |
un critique | a critic | une critique | a criticism |
un laque | artwork | une laque | a hair lacquer or gloss paint |
un manche | a handle | une manche | a sleeve |
un livre | a book | une livre | a pound (money or weight) |
un manoeuvre | an unskilled worker | La Manche | the English Channel |
un mémoire | a dissertation | une manoeuvre | a manoeuvre |
un mode | a way of. . . | la merci | mercy |
un merci | a thank you | la mémoire | memory (faculty of) |
(un mode de vie) | (a way of life) | une mode | a fashion |
un moule | a mould | une moule | a mussel |
le physique | appearance | la physique | physics |
un pendule | a pendulum | une pendule | a clock |
un poste | a job, TV or radio set | la poste | the Post Office |
un poêle | a stove | une poêle | a frying pan |
un somme | a nap | une somme | a sum (of money) |
le solde | balance (in an account) | la solde | pay (usually with reference to soldier's pay) |
un tour | a turn, trick | une tour | a tower |
le Tour de France | bicycle race | La Tour Eiffel | The Eiffel tower |
un vase | a vase | la vase | mud |
un voile | a veil | une voile | a sail |
chose
chose is normally feminine when it means 'thing': la/une chose. But the expressions quelque chose 'something', autre chose 'something else', peu de chose 'nothing much', pas grand-chose 'not a great deal' are masculine:
- Quelque chose est arrivé
Something happened
versus
- Cette chose est arrivée
This thing happened
gens
Gens 'people' requires immediately preceding adjectives or quantifiers to be feminine, but following adjectives/participles or preceding adjectives/quantifiers separated from gens to be masculine:
- Ces vieilles gens sont heureux
Those old people are happy
- certaines gens
some people
- tous les gens
everyone
- Rassurés, les gens qui manifestaient se sont dispersés
Having been reassured, those demonstrating dispersed
amour
amour 'love' is normally masculine singular. It is sometimes, however, feminine plural: les amours. When feminine plural it can mean 'amorous adventures' or it can be a more poetic way of referring to love.