Nouns: Masculine or Feminine?

Understanding Nouns

Every noun in French has a gender – either masculine or feminine.

This might seem strange at first, especially since in English, objects don't have a gender. But in French, you must always remember the gender of a noun because it affects other words in the sentence, like articles (the, a/an) and adjectives (describing words).

• Masculine nouns: Many nouns that refer to male people or animals are masculine, like le garçon (the boy) or le lion (the lion).
• Feminine nouns: Many nouns that refer to female people or animals are feminine, like la fille (the girl) or la lionne (the lioness).

However, there are many nouns where the gender does not seem logical, and you just have to learn whether each noun is masculine or feminine.

	Masculine	Feminine	Plural
The	Le	La	Les
A (or an), some	Un	Une	Des

Articles

In French, articles are used before nouns, and they change depending on the gender and number of the noun.

Definite articles (the):

• le (masculine singular): le livre (the book)
• la (feminine singular): la table (the table)
• les (plural for both masculine and feminine): les livres (the books)

Indefinite articles (a/an, some):

• un (masculine singular): un livre (a book)
• une (feminine singular): une table (a table)
• des (plural for both masculine and feminine): des livres (some books)

Nouns Beginning with a Vowel:

When a singular noun starts with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or a silent 'h', use l' instead of le or la, regardless of the gender:

• _l'_arbre (m) – the tree
• _l'_activité (f) – the activity

There are some exceptions, where the article le is used despite the noun starting with an 'h', for example:

• le hamster – the hamster
• le hibou – the owl

How to Tell if a French Noun is Masculine or Feminine

Figuring out whether a noun is masculine or feminine can be tricky at first, but there are some helpful patterns you can learn. These patterns aren't rules you can always rely on, but they're a good starting point!

1. Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns often end in the following suffixes:

Ending	Example	Translation
-eau	le château	the castle
-isme	le racisme	racism
-ment	le médicament	medicine
-age	le garage	the garage
-al	le journal	the newspaper
-eil	le soleil	the sun
-an	le plan	the plan
-ou	le trou	the hole
-eu	le feu	the fire
-et	le projet	the project

2. Feminine Nouns

Feminine nouns often end in the following suffixes:

Ending	Example	Translation
-ade	la promenade	the walk
-ude	la habitude	the habit
-ance	la confiance	confidence
-ence	la licence	the degree
-ette	la vedette	the film star
-sion	la télévision	television
-tion	la natation	swimming
-ure	la nourriture	food
-esse	la promesse	the promise
-ière	la lumière	the light
-ine	la cuisine	the kitchen
-ie	la partie	the part

3. Special Cases

Countries and Regions:

• Countries ending in e are usually feminine: la France (France), la Chine (China).
• Countries ending in other letters are usually masculine: le Canada (Canada), le Japon (Japan). Job Titles:
• Some job titles are always masculine, regardless of the person's gender: le médecin (doctor), le professeur (teacher).
• Some job titles have separate masculine and feminine forms: un acteur/une actrice (actor/actress).

4. Exceptions

There are exceptions to these patterns, and some nouns don't follow the usual rules. For example:

• le musée (the museum) is masculine, even though it ends in ée.
• la photo (the photo) is feminine, even though it ends in o. By paying attention to these endings, you'll start to get a feel for whether a noun is masculine or feminine. But remember, there are always exceptions, so it's important to learn the gender of each noun as you go!

Plural Nouns

To make most nouns plural in French, you usually add an -s at the end:

Regular Plural Formation

General Rule: Add an s to the singular noun.

Singular	Plural	Translation
le livre	les livres	the book(s)
la maison	les maisons	the house(s)
un ami	des amis	(a) friend(s)

Irregular Plural Forms

Nouns Ending in -s, -x, or -z: No change in plural.

Singular	Plural	Translation
le bus	les bus	the bus(es)
le prix	les prix	the price(s)
le nez	les nez	the nose(s)

Nouns Ending in -eau, -au, -eu: Add -x in Plural.

Singular	Plural	Translation
le bateau	les bateaux	the boat(s)
le gâteau	les gâteaux	the cake(s)
le jeu	les jeux	the game(s)

Nouns Ending in -al: Change -al to -aux in Plural.

Singular	Plural	Translation
l'animal	les animaux	the animal(s)
le journal	les journaux	the newspaper(s)
le cheval	les chevaux	the horse(s)

Nouns Ending in -ou: Generally add -s, but some take x.

Singular	Plural	Translation
le caillou	les cailloux	the pebble(s)
le chou	les choux	the cabbage(s)
le genou	les genoux	the knee(s)

Nouns That Change Completely in Plural

Singular	Plural	Translation
un œil	des yeux	an eye / eyes
le ciel	les cieux	the sky / heavens

Nouns That Are Always Plural

Noun	Translation
les gens	people
les vacances	holidays
les fiançailles	engagement
les alentours	surroundings
les lunettes	glasses/spectacles
les ciseaux	scissors
les actualités	the news
les échecs	chess
les affaires	business

Agreement with Adjectives

In French, adjectives must agree with the noun they describe. This means that if the noun is masculine, the adjective stays in its base form, but if the noun is feminine, the adjective usually takes an -e at the end. If the noun is plural, the adjective also takes an -s or -es depending on the gender.

• Un livre intéressant (a masculine singular noun – an interesting book)
• Une table intéressante (a feminine singular noun – an interesting table)
• Des livres intéressants (masculine plural noun – interesting books)
• Des tables intéressantes (feminine plural noun – interesting tables)