Le or la? How to identify if a French word is masculine or feminine.

Learning a new language can be a challenging but enjoyable and fulfilling journey. One area that often confuses students is determining whether a word is masculine or feminine. This is especially true if your mother tongue is English and French is the first foreign language you are learning. For those whose mother tongue is another Romance language, it is easier to grasp the idea that every object has a gender rather than being ‘it’.

In this post I’ll give you some tips and tricks on how to identify if a word is masculine or feminine, and why this is important. As well as some general patterns I’ll also focus on exceptions to the rules, in particular words that end with ‘age’.

Let’s start with the basics.

In French, every noun has a specific gender, either masculine or feminine, which must be learned.

Hold up, what’s a noun?

A noun is a word that can be the name of a person, animal, place, thing, event, activity or idea. eg. teacher, dog, France, skis, marriage, football, mathematics, elegance.

Le/la & un/une.

If a noun is written with le or un in front of it, then it is masculine. If it has la or une in front, then it’s feminine. eg. le livre - the book, une livre - a book (masculine), la table - the table, une table - a table (feminine).

So how can you tell if the word doesn’t have le or la written in front of it?

General Rules.

These are the general patterns which you can follow when you don't have access to the article or pronoun.

• Most words ending in a consonant are masculine, eg. un citron maïs - a lemon.

• Days of the week, months, and seasons are generally masculine, eg. le 30 septembre - the 30th of September.

• Languages, colours, and metals are also typically masculine, eg. J’apprends le français - I am learning French.

• Most words ending in ‘e’ are feminine, eg. une tomate - a tomato.

• Rivers, countries, and cities are often feminine, eg. la France - France.

• Nouns referring to female beings are generally feminine, eg. la fille - the girl. And the same goes for male beings, eg. le garçon - the boy.

Look for Clues.

You can also look for clues at the end of the word.

In French, the ending of a word can can give you a clue about the gender of a noun. While there are exceptions, certain endings tend to be associated with either masculine or feminine nouns. These are some common patterns to keep in mind.

Nouns ending in -age, -ege, -é, -é, -isme, -iste, -or, -eur, -el, -en, -on, -ard, -at, -ot, -ien, -ier, -oir, -eur, -in, -ien, -ien, -eux, -ou, -u, -éen, -èse, -ien, -ion, -on, -an, -in, -ot, -at, -ut, -on, -ail, -eil, -euil, -ouil, and -eil are more likely to be masculine.

eg. un oiseau - a bird, un nuage - a cloud, un mètre - a metre.

Nouns ending in -ade, -ance, -ence, -ine, -esse, -tion, -sion, -ure, -ie, -ée, -elle, -esse, -eur, -ion, -aison, -té, -ité, -ise, -aine, -euse, -ié, -ue, -e, -age, -ege, -ée, -ine, -elle, -esse, -tion, -sion, and -ure are often feminine.

eg. une maison - a house, la terre - the earth, une abeille - a bee.

Word Origin.

As always, there are exceptions the rules that can make identifying if a noun is masculine or feminine a bit more challenging. 

However, considering the origin of the word is a useful strategy, for example:

Words ending in -age or -ege that come from English tend to be masculine, eg. un stage - an internship, un challenge - a challenge.

Words ending in -tion, -sion, or -ance that are derived from Latin are generally feminine, eg. une nation - a nation, une discussion - a discussion.

Agreement.

In French, the gender of a noun affects the agreement of other words in the sentence, such as articles, adjectives, and pronouns. By paying attention to how these words agree with the noun, you can often deduce its gender. For example:

- Le chat est mignon. (The cat is cute.) Here, the adjective mignon takes the masculine form because it agrees with the masculine noun chat.

- La maison est grande. (The house is big.) The adjective grande takes the feminine form to match the feminine noun maison.

Dictionaries.

If all else fails and you don’t have access to a native or fluent French speaker, look it up! There are many excellent free dictionaries online. Not only will they provide the definition, they’ll tell you the gender too.

Words ending in ‘age’.

Earlier on you learnt that words ending in ‘age’ are masculine. However there are six words (some commonly used!) that are in fact feminine. It's important to remember these exceptions, as they can sometimes catch language learners off guard.

une cage - a cage

une image - a image

une nage - a swim

une page - a page

une plage - a beach

une rage - a rage

Ways to learn.

Remembering the gender of French words, especially the exceptions, can be a challenge. Here are a few strategies to help you overcome this hurdle:

Flashcards. Create flashcards using an online resource like Quizlet, or even better, create your own paper ones using magazine cut outs or photos.

Create vocabulary groups. Grouping words with similar endings together or a similar theme can make it easier to remember the gender of related words.

Regular Practice. Whatever you language learning hurdles, regular practice is always the best advice. Practicing regularly using a number of different materials (books, movies, music, podcasts, apps, formal lessons) will all help reinforce the gender of words in your mind as well as improve your language learning overall.

Determining the gender of French words can be challenging, but with practice and observation, you can develop a better sense of the language's gender patterns and become more comfortable identifying whether a word is masculine or feminine. Remember to look for clues in word endings, consider word origins, pay attention to agreements, and check the dictionary. Remember, don't be afraid to make mistakes; you may even find you remember something more easily once you’ve made a mistake!

Bonne chance!

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