Masculine and feminine
Every noun is one or the other, things included.
Every French noun is masculine or feminine, including nouns for things and ideas: le livre "the book" is masculine, la table "the table" feminine. The gender rarely follows the meaning, so learn every noun with its article. Articles, adjectives and pronouns all agree with it.
Endings that give the gender away
Many endings point to one gender, with a few exceptions.
| Mostly feminine | Examples | Mostly masculine | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| -tion, -sion | la nation, la télévision | -age | le fromage, le voyage |
| -té | la liberté, la santé | -ment | le moment, l'appartement |
| -ure | la voiture, la culture | -eau | le bateau, le gâteau |
| -ence, -ance | la chance, la science | -isme | le tourisme |
| -ette | la baguette, la fourchette | -oir | le soir, le miroir |
| -ie | la vie, la boulangerie | -er, -ier | le dîner, le papier |
Exceptions to know: la page, la plage, l'image (f.), l'eau, la peau (f.), le lycée and le musée (m.). A noun ending in a consonant is more often masculine; one ending in -e is more often feminine, but only just.
People and animals
Nouns for people usually have a masculine and a feminine form.
| Masculine | Feminine | |
|---|---|---|
| un ami | une amie | adds -e |
| un étudiant | une étudiante | adds -e; the t is now said |
| un acteur | une actrice | -teur → -trice |
| un chanteur | une chanteuse | -eur → -euse |
| un boulanger | une boulangère | -er → -ère |
| un Italien | une Italienne | -ien → -ienne |
Some nouns don't change, and only the article shows: un élève, une élève; un enfant, une enfant; un journaliste, une journaliste. Many job titles now have feminine forms too: une professeure, une autrice.
A group of men and women, or of masculine and feminine nouns, is masculine: mes amis can be a mixed group, mes amies only women.
Same word, two genders
A few nouns mean different things in each gender: le livre "the book" and la livre "the pound", le tour "the tour, turn" and la tour "the tower", le poste "the job, the set" and la poste "the post office".
Cards from this guide
8 cardsEach card asks about one thing this guide teaches, and its back gives the answer with why and an example. They're reviewed with the rest of the Nouns and adjectives cards.
How do you know the gender of a French noun?
Mostly by learning it with its article: le livre, la table.
What gender are most nouns ending in -tion?
Feminine: la nation, la question.
What gender are most nouns ending in -age?
Masculine: le fromage, le voyage.
What gender are nouns ending in -ment?
Masculine: le moment, l'appartement.
How do you make un ami feminine?
une amie.
What's the feminine of acteur?
actrice.
What gender is a group of men and women?
Masculine.
What's the difference between le livre and la livre?
le livre is a book; la livre is a pound.