Gender Rules in French Grammar:
Unlike the English language, all the nouns in French have a gender. The origin of each word’s gender goes back to its Latin or Greek roots.
In order to better understand these rules, we have come up with some tips and tricks to help you figure out the gender of words in French.
How to know if a word in French is masculine or feminine:
One quick way to find out if a word in French is feminine or masculine is to look at its ending.
Below is a list of endings of words that are often feminine/masculine. It is important to understand that this is not a grammar rule, meaning not every word with these endings will be feminine or masculine, however it is a good trick to help you begin to understand gender rules in French.
Common Feminine word endings:
-ion: Institution, Natation, Éducation, Télévision, Nutrition, Union, Vocation, Combustion
-ure: Peinture, Agriculture, Nourriture, Coupure, Cure, Signature, Ceinture, Chevelure
-oie: Joie, Oie, voie
-oix: voix
-ette: Baguette, Allumette, Bicyclette, Boulette, Canette, Chaussette, Maquette, Toilette, Omelette, Mouette
-esse: Vitesse, Vieillesse, Tendress, Tristesse, Sagesse, Souplesse, Détresse, Richesse, Princesse, sécheresse
-té: Beauté, Dicté, Santé, Liberté, Sécurité, Activité, Volonté, Propriété, Vérité, Scolarité, personnalité
Common Masculine word endings:
-ier: Courrier,Cahier, Collier, Métier, Panier, Papier, Palmier, Sentier
-ment: Élément, Document, Condiment, Équipement, Évènement, Appartement
-isme: Cyclisme, Graphisme, Perfectionnisme, Vandalisme
-teur: Moteur, Prédateur, Narrateur, Animateur
-age: Âge, Nuage, Dommage, Garage, Ménage, Pelage
-oir: Soir, Espoir, Savoir, Couloir, Miroir
-al: Journal, Bal, Coral, Idéal, Métal, Cheval
-on: Garçon, Béton, Citron, Melon, Dragon, Bâton, Bonbon
Feminine word endings | ||||||
-ion | -ure | -oie | -oix | -ette | -esse | -té |
Institution Natation Éducation Télévision Nutrition Union Vocation Combustion | Peinture Agriculture Nourriture Coupure Cure Signature Ceinture Chevelure | Joie Oie voie | Voix | Baguette Allumette Bicyclette Boulette Canette Chaussette Maquette Toilette Omelette Mouette | Vitesse Vieillesse Tendresse Tristesse Sagesse Souplesse Détresse Richesse Princesse sécheresse | Beauté Dicté Santé Liberté Sécurité Activité Volonté Propriété Vérité Scolarité personnalité |
Masculine word endings | |||||||
-ier | -ment | -isme | -teur | -age | -oir | -al | -on |
Courrier Cahier Collier Métier Panier Papier Palmier sentier | Élément Document Condiment Équipement Évènement Appartement | Cyclisme Graphisme Perfectionnisme Vandalisme | Moteur Prédateur Narrateur Animateur | Âge Nuage Domage Garage Ménage Pelage | Soir Espoir Savoir Couloir Mirroir | Journal Bal Coral Idéal Métal Cheval | Garçon Béton Citron Melon Dragon Bâton bonbon |
In French, there are always millions of exceptions. Therefore, if one word does not belong to one of these categories or if you have any doubts, it is always good to refer back to a French dictionary!
Gender Rules in French: Articles
Now that you know more about how to recognize the feminine and masculine words in French, it is time to learn about the articles. In French, the articles vary according to the gender and the singularity (or plurality) of the noun.
Here is a chart that will help you understand French articles, and help you choose the right one:
Feminine singular | Feminine plural | Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
La (definite) | Les (definite) | Le (definite) | Les (definite) |
une (indefinite) | Des (indefinite) | Un (indefinite) | Des (indefinite) |
Feminine singular | Feminine plural |
La (definite) | Les (definite) |
une (indefinite) | Des (indefinite) |
Masculine singular | Masculine plural |
Le (definite) | Les (definite) |
Un (indefinite) | Des (indefinite) |
Free Printable Worksheets to Practice Gender Rules in French:
Now that you’ve learned how to determine the gender of different words in French, it’s time to practice your use of gender rules! We have created free printable worksheets to help you tackle the gender in French grammar:
