Masculine or feminine nouns
In French, all nouns have a gender – they are either masculine or feminine nouns, and they have a number – they are either singular or plural. A noun is a word that represents a person (Maya), a place (Banque), or a thing (chaise), whether concrete (chien) or abstract (bonheur).
Masculine and Feminine endings Part 1
Masculine and Feminine endings Part 2
Masculine & Feminine nouns endings
Here is a table with some rules to help you determine the gender of a noun. But remember there are exceptions to the rules, and whenever possible it will be safer verifying the gender of a noun in a book or dictionary.
We recommend a virtual dictionary like Word Reference.
| Masculine nouns endings | Feminine nouns endings |
|---|---|
| eau (chapeau) | e (table) |
| t (cet-profit) | tion (tradition) |
| l (journal) | sion (explosion) |
| on (violon) | son (maison) |
| eur (acteur) | leur (couleur) |
| oir (miroir) | euse (vendeuse) |
| our (jour) | trice (actrice) |
| é (été) | ture (voiture) |
| er (infirmier) | té (bonté) |
| in (lapin) | ère (infirmière) |
| ain (chagrain) | ine (lapine) |
| ent (testament) | ence (patience) |
| age (voyage) | ande (demande) |
| ou (hibou) | ade (parade) |
| aille (bataille) | |
| ette (cette) | |
| ille (fille) |
The best way to learn the gender of French nouns is to make your vocabulary lists with the appropriate definite article or indefinite article. That is, rather than a list like this: livre (book) or chaise (chair) make French vocabulary lists like this: un livre – le livre (book) une chaise – la chaise (chair), so that you learn the gender with the noun.
Practice masculine and feminine in this video:
Practice more masculine and feminine tests here:
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