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:

Tab1

• 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:

Tab2

Adverb + noun compounds

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

Tab3

• 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:

Tab4

• 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:

Tab5

Verbal phrase compounds

Compounds constructed from verbal phrases are masculine:

Tab6