Every French noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. This affects the article you use, the adjective endings, and sometimes the verb. The good news is that there are patterns that help you guess correctly most of the time.
Why gender matters
- It changes the article: le or la, un or une
- It changes the adjective: un livre interessant vs une histoire interessante
- It changes the pronoun: il or elle
Common masculine endings
- -age: le voyage, le fromage
- -ment: le gouvernement, le sentiment
- -eau: le gateau, le chapeau
- -isme: le tourisme, le realisme
- -eur (not -eur from adjectives): le moteur, le serveur
Common feminine endings
- -tion / -sion: la situation, la decision
- -ette: la baguette, la serviette
- -eur (feelings and abstracts): la peur, la chaleur
- -ie: la boulangerie, la pharmacie
- -ance / -ence: la chance, la patience
People and animals
Nouns for people usually follow the biological gender. Some nouns change form for feminine.
- un ami → une amie
- un etudiant → une etudiante
- un acteur → une actrice
The tricky ones
Some nouns go against the expected patterns. These are worth memorizing individually.
- le probleme (masculine despite -e ending)
- la mer (feminine despite no typical ending)
- le silence (masculine despite -ence)
Best strategy
Always learn the article with the noun. When in doubt, check and note it. The patterns help you make educated guesses, but learning by exposure is the most reliable method.
Final tip
Do not wait until you are sure before using a noun. Make a guess, use it, and correct yourself when needed. Making mistakes is how gender in French becomes natural.
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