Understanding French Gender of Nouns is a fundamental aspect of learning the French language. Nouns in French are either masculine or feminine, and this distinction plays a crucial role in sentence structure and agreement. Let’s delve into the intricacies of French noun genders.
Click on each topic and ending to see longer lists and to listen to the audio.
You can get the PDF of French masculine nouns and the PDF of French feminine nouns at the bottom of the page.
In French, many nouns are classified as masculine. Some of them have specific endings that often indicate their gender.
Here are some common masculine French Gender Nouns noun endings:
ACLE | Un obstacle – an obstacle | |
AGE | Un nuage – a cloud | |
AL | Un bocal – a jar | |
EAU | Un veau – a calf | |
EL | Le ciel – the sky | |
ET | Un sujet – a subject | |
EU | Un jeu – a game | |
IER | Un métier – a job | |
IN | Un sapin – a pine tree | |
ISME | Le minimalisme -minimalism | |
MENT | Un document – a document | |
OIR | Un tiroir – a drawer | |
ON | Un ballon – a balloon | |
OU | Un genou – a knee |
It’s important to note that some topics are exclusively associated with masculine nouns, such as days of the week, seasons, languages, and certain weights and metrics.
Days of the week
Le lundi – Monday
Le mardi – Tuesday
Le mercredi – Wednesday
Le jeudi – Thursday
Le vendredi – Friday
Le samedi – Saturday
Le dimanche – Sunday
Seasons
Un été – summer
Un hiver – winter
Un printemps – spring
Un automne – fall
Languages
Le français – French
L’italien – Italian
L’espagnol – Spanish
See more languages, nationalities and countries here
Weights and metrics
Un kilomètre – a kilometer
Un litre – a liter
Un gramme – a gram
See more weights and metrics here
Distances
Un mètre – a meter
Un kilomètre – a kilometer
Un mile – a mile
See more distances here
English words
Un meeting – a meeting
Le marketing – marketing
Un hot dog – a hotdog
See more English words here
On the other hand, there are also many feminine French Gender Nouns in French. Just like masculine nouns, some feminine nouns have specific endings that can help identify their gender.
Here are examples of feminine noun endings:
ADE | Une salade – a salad | |
ALE | Une finale – a final | |
ANCE | Une chance – a chance | |
ELLE | Une ficelle – a string | |
ENCE | Une urgence – an emergency | |
ESSE | Une tresse – a braid | |
ETTE | Une dette – a debt | |
IE | Une copie – a copy | |
IQUE | Une brique – a brick | |
OIRE | Une armoire – a cabinet | |
SION | Une occasion – an occasion | |
TÉ – TIÉ | La santé – heatlh | |
TION | Une option – an option | |
URE | La nature – nature |
Countries
L’Argentine – Argentina
La Belgique – Belgium
La Chine – China
See more countries here
Approximate Numbers
Une dizaine – about ten
Une douzaine – about a dozen
Une quinzaine – about fifteen
See more approximate numbers here
Understanding the French Gender of Nouns is a gradual process, but with practice and exposure to the language, learners can become more proficient at recognizing noun genders.
In conclusion, mastering the French Gender of Nouns is essential for anyone learning French. While there are patterns and clues to help determine noun genders, there are also exceptions to be aware of. Continue to learn the gender of each noun you learn. You never know when you will be surprised by the gender of a French noun.
7 Responses
Hi good work do you have some past DFL exam sites!
No I don’t. Sorry!
DFL A1&2 preparation materials please
I have no specific lessons for DELF but maybe one day 🙂
Bonjour,
Lorsque je demande un téléchargement pour les noms masculins français, je reçois un e-mail qui me donne un lien vers “The Complete French Self-Study Guide.pdf” au lieu des noms masculins français. Merci.
Je vais y regarder Paul 🙂
merci