Knowing the gender of French nouns is one of the hardest things for English students.
Fortunately, we have some tips for you!
Note that they don't work 100% of the time (That would be too easy!), but it is as close you can get to a rule.
Learn how to identify the gender of nouns in French
1- Nouns ending with an -e are mostly feminine
This is not an absolute rule, but we can consider that easily 75% of words ending in -e are feminine.
Masculine words less often end in -e.
Masculine words less often end in -e.
ATTENTION:
-é, -ê, or -è are NOT considered as -e, but as a different letter, therefore don't necessarily follow that rule!
Now let's look at endings that don't match that first rule: you can easily remember them!
2- However -age, -ège and -isme endings tend to be MASCULINE
-age
Here note that the words following that rule all have -age as an ending to an existing word.
Ils se marient : je vais au mariage.They're getting married: I'm going to the wedding.
Les feuilles sont orange : c'est le feuillage d'automne.The leaves are orange: it's autumn foliage.
Dans ce pays, il y a un beau paysage.In this country, there is a beautiful landscape.
Quand tu colles des morceaux de papier ensemble, tu fais un beau collage.When you stick bits of paper together, you make a nice collage.
Whereas all the exceptions are very short words, where -age is not an extra ending:
une cage, une image, la nage (swimming), une page, la plage (beach), la rage ...
-ège
un manègea carousel
le collègethe secondary school
un privilègea privilege
Exception: la Norvège (Norway)
-isme
le RomantismeRomanticism
le capitalismeCapitalism
le CubismeCubism
3- Nouns that don't end in -e are usually masculine
Again, this is not an absolute rule, but we can consider that easily 80% of words ending in consonants are masculine. Moreover, endings in -é are also mostly masculine.
Feminine words less often end in consonants or -é.
Feminine words less often end in consonants or -é.
Now let's look at endings that don't match that first rule: you can easily remember them!
4- However, these exceptions that don't end in -e tend to be FEMININE
-tion, -sion, -ssion
la nationthe nation
la punitionthe punishment
une évasionan escape
la précisionprecision
une émission de téléa tv show
une impressionan impression
Exception: un bastion
-son
la maisonthe house
une conjugaisona conjugation
une saisona season
une chansona song
Exceptions: un poison, un pinson (type of bird), un vison (mink), un bison, un blouson ...
-té, -tié
la libertéFreedom
la beautéthe beauty
la communautéthe community
une amitiéa friendship
la pitiéthe pity
Exceptions with -té: un député, un aparté, un côté (side), un été (summer), un pâté, le karaté, un traité (treaty), un comté (county), un comité ...
Abstract nouns in -eur
la chaleurthe heat
la lenteurSlowness
la blancheurthe whiteness
la noirceurthe darkness
Exceptions: le bonheur (happiness), le malheur (misery), un honneur...
and all the non-abstract nouns in -eur: un ascenseur (elevator), un aspirateur (a vacuum cleaner), un chanteur (a singer)...
and all the non-abstract nouns in -eur: un ascenseur (elevator), un aspirateur (a vacuum cleaner), un chanteur (a singer)...
Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
