Chien or chienne

Kate S.A1Kwiziq community member

Chien or chienne

Without being specific, would one say “j’ai une chienne” or “j’ai un chien” when the dog in question is female?

Asked 3 years ago
CélineNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Kate,

I would agree with Maarten, when writing / reading. In everyday French / conversations etc, most of the time, people would tend to use the masculine word 'chien' (same with 'chat'). But there is nothing wrong with using 'chienne' when talking about one's dog.

See previous discussion on this topic: questions/use-the-female-for-a-cat

I hope this is helpful.

Bonne journée!

Maarten K.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Not sure what you mean by 'without being specific' - but if you have a female dog you would be specific and say "J'ai une chienne". 

Chien or chienne

Without being specific, would one say “j’ai une chienne” or “j’ai un chien” when the dog in question is female?

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