Rules and usage
All French nouns have two grammatical properties: gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). These properties are fundamental to French grammar because they affect articles, adjectives, and past participles that accompany the noun. Understanding how to form and recognize these categories is essential for correct French writing and speaking.
Gender of nouns
- Every French noun is either masculine or feminine. There is no neuter gender in French.
- Gender is a property that must be learned with each noun; it cannot usually be predicted from the word itself.
- Masculine nouns are often preceded by the article le or un: le chien (the dog), un livre (a book), un homme (a man).
- Feminine nouns are often preceded by the article la or une: la maison (the house), une voiture (a car), une femme (a woman).
- A few nouns show gender through their meaning: l'acteur (the male actor) is masculine, but l'actrice (the female actor) is feminine.
- Some common word endings suggest gender. Nouns ending in -e are often feminine: la table (the table), la page (the page). Nouns ending in consonants are often masculine: le parc (the park), le chat (the cat). However, many exceptions exist.
✅ Positive sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Le chat noir est mignon. | The black cat is cute. |
| La fille intelligente parle français. | The intelligent girl speaks French. |
⛔ Negative sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Le chat n'est pas noir. | The cat is not black. |
| La fille ne parle pas français. | The girl does not speak French. |
❓ Question sentence examples
| French | English |
|---|
| Est-ce que le chat est noir? | Is the cat black? |
| Est-ce que la fille parle français? | Does the girl speak French? |