📘 French Noun Gender and Number

📌 Examples – Same meaning in English, different gender in French

💡 Important to Remember

• Gender in French is often arbitrary. For example, le soleil (the sun) is masculine, but la lune (the moon) is feminine.
• Some nouns referring to people or animals can have both masculine and feminine forms: un acteur / une actrice (actor / actress).
• You must learn the gender of a noun along with the noun itself.

⚠️ Exceptions

Some nouns don’t follow the usual rules. For example:

• le lycée (high school) is masculine, even though it ends in -e.
• la plage (beach) is feminine, even though most -age nouns are masculine.
• le silence (silence) is masculine, despite the -ence ending.

Because of these exceptions, it’s important to learn the article along with each noun. For example, learn “la table” rather than just “table”.

1️⃣ Nouns that Break the Ending Rules

• la plage – the beach (feminine, even though -age is usually masculine)
• le lycée – the high school (masculine, even though -ée is usually feminine)
• le silence – silence (masculine, despite -ence usually being feminine)
• la main – the hand (feminine, irregular form)

2️⃣ Epicene Nouns (Same Form for Both Genders)

Some nouns keep the same form whether referring to a male or female, and only the article changes.

3️⃣ Nouns for Professions and Roles

Traditionally, some profession names existed only in masculine form. Modern French now uses feminine versions more often, especially for jobs held by women.

• un professeur → une professeure or une professeur
• un auteur → une autrice or une auteure
• un médecin → still masculine in form, even for women (une médecin)

4️⃣ Nouns with Both Genders but Different Meanings

Some nouns change gender depending on their meaning.

💡 Tip

Always learn the noun together with its article (le or la). This helps you remember the gender naturally.

📌 General Rule for Plural Formation

Most French nouns form their plural by adding -s to the singular form. The final -s is usually silent in pronunciation.

📌 Special Endings

Some nouns follow special spelling rules when forming the plural:

• -s, -x, -z: No change in plural form. Example: un bras → des bras (an arm → arms)
• -eau, -au, -eu: Add -x in plural. Example: un bateau → des bateaux (a boat → boats)
• -al: Change to -aux. Example: un cheval → des chevaux (a horse → horses)

📌 Agreement with Articles and Adjectives

In plural, articles and adjectives must also change:

💡 Note

Although the plural ending is usually silent, the article often changes pronunciation. For example, les amis is pronounced /lez‿ami/ with a liaison.

💡 Tips for Remembering Irregular Plurals

• Group them by pattern (e.g., travail → travaux, vitrail → vitraux).
• Pay attention to the few -ou nouns that take -x in plural.
• Learn expressions with irregular plurals to remember them naturally.

📌 Pronunciation Note

Most plural endings are silent, but some irregular forms cause a change in sound. For example, œil is pronounced /œj/, but yeux is pronounced /jø/.

📌 Definite Articles (le, la, les)

📌 Indefinite Articles (un, une, des)

📌 Adjectives Agreement

Most adjectives take an extra -e in the feminine form, and an -s in the plural. Some have irregular forms.

💡 Tip

Always check both the gender and number of the noun before choosing the article and adjective form. This is essential for correct French grammar.

1️⃣ Identify the Gender

Indicate whether each noun is masculine (M) or feminine (F).

1. chaise – chair
2. ordinateur – computer
3. voiture – car
4. stylo – pen

2️⃣ Make It Plural

Write the plural form of each noun.

1. un chat – a cat
2. une maison – a house
3. un cheval – a horse
4. un bateau – a boat

3️⃣ Correct the Mistakes

Find and correct the mistakes in gender or number agreement.

1. Le petite filles jouent dans le jardin. – The small girls are playing in the garden.
2. Les maison blanche sont belles. – The white houses are beautiful.
3. La ordinateur est sur la table. – The computer is on the table.

4️⃣ Match the Article

Match each noun with the correct definite article (le, la, les).

1. ____ soleil – sun
2. ____ lune – moon
3. ____ étoiles – stars

📌 Common Endings

• -e → Often marks the feminine form.
  Example: un ami → une amie – a (male) friend → a (female) friend.
• -es → Feminine plural ending.
  Example: une amie → des amies – female friends.
• -ée → Feminine form of past participles or adjectives ending in -é.
  Example: fermé → fermée – closed (m.) → closed (f.).
• -ées → Feminine plural.
  Example: fermées – closed (f. pl.).
• -s → Masculine plural ending for regular nouns and adjectives.
  Example: petit → petits – small (m. pl.).

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• Forgetting to change the ending of adjectives when the noun is feminine or plural. Example: Saying une porte fermé ❌ instead of une porte fermée ✅ (a closed door).
• Using the masculine form by default for feminine nouns because of the English influence.
• Assuming all nouns ending in -e are feminine — many masculine nouns end in -e (le problème, le musée).

📖 Example Sentences

🗝️ Memorization Tips

• Always learn nouns together with their article (le, la, les).
• Associate nouns with an image in your mind that matches their gender.
• Group similar nouns together by ending to see patterns.