Difference between revisions of "Language/French/Grammar/Nouns-which-change-meaning-when-they-change-gender"
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<div | <div class="pg_page_title"> Nouns which change meaning when they change gender</div> | ||
Nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. Unfortunately there | __TOC__ | ||
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! 👌 | |||
<span link>Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages:</span> [[Language/French/Grammar/Possessive-determiners|Possessive determiners]], [[Language/French/Grammar/Omission-of-the-article|Omission of the article]], [[Language/French/Grammar/Conjugation-group-1-—-verbs-whose-infinitive-ends-in-—er|Conjugation group 1 — verbs whose infinitive ends in —er]] & [[Language/French/Grammar/Pronominal-verbs-used-reciprocally|Pronominal verbs used reciprocally]]. | |||
==Examples== | ==Examples== | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
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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 | ||
Line 36: | Line 49: | ||
|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 | ||
|an unskilled worker | |an unskilled worker | ||
| | |une manoeuvre | ||
| | |a manoeuvre | ||
|- | |- | ||
|un mémoire | |un mémoire | ||
|a dissertation | |a dissertation | ||
|la mémoire | |la mémoire | ||
|memory (faculty of) | |memory (faculty of) | ||
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|un mode | |un mode | ||
|a way of. . . | |a way of. . . | ||
|La Manche | |||
|the English Channel | |||
|- | |||
|un merci | |||
|a thank you | |||
|la merci | |la merci | ||
|mercy | |mercy | ||
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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 | ||
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== chose == | == 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: | The noun "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: | ||
The noun "chose" is feminine when it means "thing": "la/une chose". | |||
But the following 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 | *Quelque chose est arrivé | ||
Something happened | Something happened | ||
'''versus''' | |||
versus | |||
*Cette chose est arrivée | *Cette chose est arrivée | ||
This thing happened | This thing happened | ||
== gens == | == gens == | ||
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*tous les gens | *tous les gens | ||
everyone | everyone | ||
*Rassurés, les gens qui manifestaient se sont dispersés | *Rassurés, les gens qui manifestaient se sont dispersés | ||
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== amour == | == 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. | 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. | ||
{{Gender-of-French-Nouns}} | |||
==Other Chapters== | ==Other Chapters== | ||
{{French-Grammar-Course-Menu}} | {{French-Grammar-Course-Menu}} | ||
==Other Lessons== | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Types-of-adverbs|Types of adverbs]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Subjunctive-Mood|Subjunctive Mood]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Mass-versus-count-nouns|Mass versus count nouns]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-neutral-le-where-no-equivalent-exists-in-English|Use of neutral le where no equivalent exists in English]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/«-de-»-or-«-du-»,-«-de-la-»,-«-des-»-after-quantifiers|« de » or « du », « de la », « des » after quantifiers]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Possessive-determiners|Possessive determiners]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/L’on-VS-on|L’on VS on]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Use-of-indefinite-and-partitive-articles-after-the-negative-forms|Use of indefinite and partitive articles after the negative forms]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/An-adjective-agreeing-with-nouns-linked-by-et,-ou-or-ni|An adjective agreeing with nouns linked by et, ou or ni]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Adjectives-which-regularly-occur-before-and-after-the-noun,-but-with-a-change-of-meaning|Adjectives which regularly occur before and after the noun, but with a change of meaning]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Comparatives-and-Superlatives|Comparatives and Superlatives]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Past-participles-used-as-adjectives-with-the-verb-être|Past participles used as adjectives with the verb être]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Ordinal-numbers|Ordinal numbers]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Non-agreement-of-direct-object-numerals-with-coûter,-peser-and-mesurer|Non agreement of direct object numerals with coûter, peser and mesurer]] | |||
* [[Language/French/Grammar/Quand-utiliser-QUAND-et-QUANT|Quand utiliser QUAND et QUANT]] | |||
<span links></span> |
Latest revision as of 17:03, 31 July 2023
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! 👌
Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Possessive determiners, Omission of the article, Conjugation group 1 — verbs whose infinitive ends in —er & Pronominal verbs used reciprocally.
Examples[edit | edit source]
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 | une manoeuvre | a manoeuvre |
un mémoire | a dissertation | la mémoire | memory (faculty of) |
un mode | a way of. . . | La Manche | the English Channel |
un merci | a thank you | la merci | mercy |
(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[edit | edit source]
The noun "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:
The noun "chose" is feminine when it means "thing": "la/une chose".
But the following 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[edit | edit source]
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[edit | edit source]
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.
Gender of Nouns (all lessons)[edit source]
Other Chapters[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Types of adverbs
- Subjunctive Mood
- Mass versus count nouns
- Use of neutral le where no equivalent exists in English
- « de » or « du », « de la », « des » after quantifiers
- Possessive determiners
- L’on VS on
- Use of indefinite and partitive articles after the negative forms
- An adjective agreeing with nouns linked by et, ou or ni
- Adjectives which regularly occur before and after the noun, but with a change of meaning
- Comparatives and Superlatives
- Past participles used as adjectives with the verb être
- Ordinal numbers
- Non agreement of direct object numerals with coûter, peser and mesurer
- Quand utiliser QUAND et QUANT