identification (Masculine / feminine)

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Permalink Reply by Lynn on February 17, 2011 at 3:55pm

Many words are easily identified by the fact that feminine nouns usually have an -e on the end, and masculine nouns usually end in another letter. This can get tricky   though, because many words follow that exact opposite pattern (think morte- which is masculine). It is good in many situations though. When it doesn't, I just line up all the vocabulary words I'm learning in a chapter or unit into charts of masculine and femimine. Just helps to keep things straight.

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Permalink Reply by Erwan on February 17, 2011 at 7:17pm

Here are some rules. They have some exceptions but they'll probably help you.

Nouns in -age (except image, nage, rage, etc..) in -al, -ail,-ement,-eil,-eur(if they speak about an object, an activity, a work, a speciality) are masculine.

It's same thing for noun finished by -illon, -ier, -isme, -in, -is (except fin, brebis,oasis,souris,etc...).

Names of metals or trees are masculine (except some small trees or vegetals la vigne, l'aubépine,...)

 

Nouns finished by -aison, -ande, -aine, -esse, -aie, -aille, -eille, -ille are feminine (except quadrille, braille, trille,...)

It's the same thing for nouns finished by -ance, -ence (except silence), -ade(except jade,...),-ée (except lycée, musée,...)

 

Abstract nouns finished by -eur (except bonheur, honneur,...) -ité(except past participle), -ie(except génie, incendie,...), -tion, -ation, -otion, -ution (except bastion,....) are feminine.

 

Nouns finished by -ure (except bromure, cyanure, murmure,...) are feminine.

 

Name of sciences, except le droit, are feminine.

 

As you can see there are several exceptions. The best way is to learn the gender with the noun.
But if you speak with French people and you switch the gender  they will generaly understand you.

 

 

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Permalink Reply by sagender on February 20, 2011 at 1:32pm

Je vous remercie d'avoir répondu.

sarender

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Permalink Reply by Neil Coffey on February 17, 2011 at 7:34pm

You may like to look at the grammar section page on When to use 'le' or 'la', which gives some of the patterns for determining the gender of French nouns.

 

However, if you're just starting out with French, for the time being there is also an argument that it's easier to just remember which gender a noun is than to learn the complexities of the various patterns. As your French vocabulary grows, and you're acquiring more vocabulary from "natural" reading rather than from vocabulary books, then knowing the patterns will be more important.

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Permalink Reply by Ginette Chamart on February 19, 2011 at 6:02am

This website will probably be too technical for you as a beginner, but might come handy in the future:
http://genderfrenchnouns.yolasite.com

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