Language/French/Grammar/Gender-of-makes-of-vehicle-and-machines
Nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. Unfortunately there are no simple rules which non-native speakers can use to predict with complete accuracy the gender of a given noun. However, there are some patterns, either in the form or meaning of nouns, which can normally be used to predict the correct gender with greater than chance accuracy. The reader should remember, however, that these patterns are not comprehensive, and that there are exceptions.
Usually, the gender of makes of vehicle or makes of machines, like cars, lorries, planes, lawnmowers, dishwashers, and so on, is the same as the gender of the general name for the vehicle or machine.
Voiture
voiture 'car' is feminine, so makes of car are feminine:
- une Renault
- une Citroën DS
- une Nissan Primera
Camion
camion 'lorry' is masculine, so makes of lorry are masculine:
- un Berliet
- un Foden
Avion
avion 'plane' is masculine, so types of plane are masculine:
- le Concorde
- un Boeing 747
Cuisinière
cuisinière 'cooker' is feminine, so makes of cooker are feminine:
- une Arthur Martin
- une Belling
and so on.