Language/French/Grammar/Gender-and-Number-of-Nouns
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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 chien | les chiens | dog/dogs |
la dent | les dents | tooth/teeth |
l'oeil (masc.) | les yeux | eye/eyes |
le pied | les pieds | foot/feet |
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
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.
Videos
French Gender of Nouns - YouTube
French Gender and Plural of Nouns - Lesson 1 - YouTube
Why knowing the gender of a French word is important - YouTube
Gender of French Words: Masculin vs Feminin - YouTube
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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