Gender of Nouns in French

In French, every noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. This gender affects articles, adjectives, and pronouns.

Masculine Nouns
Most nouns that use le or un
  • le livre (the book)
  • le garçon (the boy)
  • un chien (a dog)
Feminine Nouns
Most nouns that use la or une
  • la maison (the house)
  • la fille (the girl)
  • une voiture (a car)

Common Endings (Helpful Clues)

Often Masculine
  • -age (le village)
  • -ment (le moment)
  • -eau (le bateau)
  • -phone (le téléphone)
Often Feminine
  • -tion (la nation)
  • -sion (la décision)
  • -té (la liberté)
  • -ette (la baguette)

⚠️ There are exceptions! Always learn nouns together with their article.

Example Sentence
La table est grande.
Le stylo est bleu.