Gender and number of nouns
A1 Le genre et le nombre du nom 2 / 52
In short
Every French noun has a gender (masculine or feminine) and a number (singular or plural). The gender is a fixed property you must learn with each word, and the plural is usually built by adding -s (or -x for some endings).
The rule
French has no neutral gender: a table, a book, an idea - each is either masculine or feminine. Gender is grammatical, not logical, so le livre (the book) is masculine while la table (the table) is feminine for no deeper reason. Because articles and adjectives must agree with the noun, learning the gender is not optional - always memorise a noun with its article.
Masculine vs feminine
- Learn the article with the noun: store un stylo (a pen), not just stylo; une chaise (a chair), not just chaise.
- People and animals often have two forms, one per sex: un ami / une amie (a friend), un chat / une chatte (a cat).
- Making the feminine of many nouns adds an -e: un étudiant -> une étudiante (a student). This often changes the pronunciation of the final consonant.
- Some nouns keep one gender regardless of the person: une personne (a person) is always feminine, un professeur is traditionally masculine (though une professeure is now common).
Plural -s and -x (journal -> journaux)
The default plural marker is a silent -s added to the singular. It is written but usually not pronounced, so le chat and les chats sound the same - only the article tells you the number aloud.
- Regular: add -s -> un livre / des livres, une idée / des idées.
- Nouns ending in -s, -x, -z do not change: un bras / des bras (arm), une voix / des voix (voice), un nez / des nez (nose).
- Nouns ending in -au, -eau, -eu add -x: un bateau / des bateaux (boat), un jeu / des jeux (game).
- Most nouns ending in -al change to -aux: un journal / des journaux (newspaper), un animal / des animaux (animal). A few keep -s: un bal / des bals (ball/dance), un festival / des festivals.
- Seven nouns in -ou take -x: un bijou / des bijoux (jewel), un genou / des genoux (knee); most others just add -s (un trou / des trous, hole).
Endings that hint at gender
Gender is not fully predictable, but the ending of a noun is a strong clue. These are tendencies, not laws - there are exceptions.
- Usually masculine: endings in -age (le fromage), -ment (le moment), -eau (le bureau), -isme (le tourisme), -ier (le cahier).
- Usually feminine: endings in -tion / -sion (la nation), -té (la liberté), -ette (la fourchette), -ance / -ence (la France, la science), -ure (la voiture), -ie (la boulangerie), -ée (la journée).
- Watch the traps: le musée, le lycée, le silence, la page, la plage, l’eau (feminine) all break the pattern above - endings guide you, they do not decide for you.
Forms & patterns
Regular plural formation by ending:
| Singular ending | Plural rule | Example (sing. -> plur.) |
|---|---|---|
| most nouns | add -s | un livre -> des livres |
| -s, -x, -z | no change | une voix -> des voix |
| -au, -eau, -eu | add -x | un bateau -> des bateaux |
| -al | -> -aux | un journal -> des journaux |
| -ou (7 special) | add -x | un bijou -> des bijoux |
Masculine / feminine pairs for people:
| Masculine | Feminine | English |
|---|---|---|
| un ami | une amie | a friend |
| un étudiant | une étudiante | a student |
| un chien | une chienne | a dog |
| un acteur | une actrice | an actor / actress |
| un serveur | une serveuse | a waiter / waitress |
| un homme | une femme | a man / a woman |
Endings that hint at gender:
| Often masculine | Often feminine |
|---|---|
| -age (le voyage) | -tion (la station) |
| -ment (le vêtement) | -té (la beauté) |
| -eau (le manteau) | -ette (la baguette) |
| -isme (le réalisme) | -ance (la distance) |
| -ier (le clavier) | -ure (la nature) |
Examples
| Français | English |
|---|---|
| Le livre est sur la table. | The book is on the table. |
| J’ai une amie française. | I have a French friend. |
| Il achète des journaux tous les matins. | He buys newspapers every morning. |
| Les animaux du zoo sont magnifiques. | The zoo’s animals are magnificent. |
| Elle porte de beaux bijoux. | She is wearing beautiful jewels. |
| La liberté est importante. | Freedom is important. |
| Nous regardons des bateaux dans le port. | We are watching boats in the harbour. |
| Un étudiant et une étudiante parlent. | A (male) student and a (female) student are talking. |
Common mistakes
- la problème -> le problème - despite the -e, problème is masculine (like most nouns in -ème).
- des journals -> des journaux - nouns in -al usually form the plural in -aux.
- des bateaus -> des bateaux - endings in -au / -eau / -eu take -x, not -s.
- deux voixs -> deux voix - nouns already ending in -s, -x, -z stay unchanged in the plural.
- le eau -> l’eau (feminine, la) - it elides to l’, but the underlying article is la, not le.
- une page blanc -> une page blanche - page is feminine, so the adjective must agree in the feminine.
Tips
- Never learn a noun alone - learn un / une + noun so the gender sticks from day one.
- The plural -s is silent: in speech the article (le/la vs les, un/une vs des) carries the number, so pronounce it clearly.
- Trust endings as hints, not rules: -tion, -té, -ette lean feminine; -age, -ment, -eau lean masculine.
- When unsure, check a dictionary - the abbreviations n.m. (masculine) and n.f. (feminine) tell you the gender.
- Watch the -al -> -aux nouns; they are common (journal, animal, cheval, hôpital) and worth memorising as a group.
- Before a vowel or silent h, both le and la elide to l’ (l’ami, l’eau), which hides the gender - so learn these words with special care.