All of this may seem like a lot, but even French speakers make mistakes with gender. French Nouns With Two Genders. The gender of carotte is feminine. Examples: regarding not only professions but the whole French language arising out of feminism and the gender equality movement. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice on health benefits, diagnosis, or treatment. Note that many French professions have only a masculine form. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website! Is hotel a French word? However, most of us, when learning another language learn some slang and short cuts that can and will make a difference in sharing our thoughts. In the two phrases above, the nationality "Anglais(e)" is used as a noun and refer to a persons nationality so they are both capitalized. (second line is masculine, third is feminine). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". You can check out this article for more ideas. But it can also be masculine. Thats the case of most words that define people. They use the article -la (or -l' if the country starts with a vowel.). l'oiseau bird le chat cat le poulet chicken la vache cow le chien dog le canard duck l'elephant elephant le poisson fish la grenouille frog la chvre goat le cheval horse le cochon pig le lapin rabbit le serpent snake la dinde turkey la tortue turtle What Are French Ordinal Numbers and Fractions. The different forms for adjectives depend mostly on the final letter (s) of the default form of the adjective, which is the masculine singular. In the second phrase above, the nationality of the person is feminine "une" and so her nationality should also be feminine by adding an -E to the end "Anglaise. The main reason for this ambiguity lies in the fact that both masculine and feminine forms are found in French. How do we know what is masculine and what is feminine? Why France is the best country in the world? Do my native language (Latvian) also has that as Ive never thought of it way? le la. 1 views 3rd failed drug test on probation how to pronounce knife prezi grubhub campus dining not working is scott mitchell related to micky flanagan is there a ferry from boston to nova scotia what happened between bounty hunter d and patty mayo While in English, nouns are generally considered to be either masculine or feminine, in French there are actually three genders: masculine, feminine, and neuter. Technically, officially, there is an institution in France, who is in charge of deciding anything related to the French language: LAcadmie Franaise. NO, grammatical gender in French is NOT crucial. There is no reason, no order. Good. that was about 30 years ago. French people will still understand you if you use the wrong gender. The gender of some nouns makes sense ( homme [man] is masculine, femme [woman] is feminine) but others don't: the words personne [person] and victime [victim] are always feminine, even when the person or victim is a man! COPYRIGHT 2022 TOPICTEA. This word is used to refer to the act of drinking tea, which is indeed a feminine act. verbs have no gender in French. I appreciate your attention to the idea of learning to speak French. Designed by Moxie Grafix. This distinction also comes into play when women are taking care of the children and need something to drink that wont disturb them. All French nouns are either masculine or feminine and, just as in English, they can be either singular or plural. In French, an htel de ville or mairie is a town hall and not a hotel. Let's see the differences between le masculin and le fminin. link to Does Making Tea In a Keurig Work? Allons-y! We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Here are some example phrases using languages. Your email address will not be published. Possibly a lot of us think of money as masculine because of this fun fact: many languages actually assign words a gender. A teacher walks into the Classroom and says If only Yesterday was Tomorrow Today would have been a Saturday Which Day did the Teacher make this Statement? This list has over 100 country names in French and English and their corresponding nationalities in French. Well, in most cases, we can know the gender of a word by its ending. For the most part, nouns included in the following categories are masculine:\r\n
- \r\n \t
- \r\n
Names of trees: chne (oak tree), olivier (olive tree), pommier (apple tree)
\r\n \r\n \t - \r\n
Names of metals: or (gold), acier (steel), fer (iron)
\r\n \r\n \t - \r\n
Names of metric units: mtre (a meter), kilo (a kilo), centimtre (centimeter)
\r\n \r\n \t - \r\n
Names of colors: le rouge (red), le vert (green), le bleu (blue)
\r\n \r\n \t - \r\n
Names of languages: le chinois (chinese), lallemand (german), le franais (French)
\r\n \r\n \t - \r\n
Nouns of English origin: tennis (tennis), parking (parking lot), football (soccer)
\r\n \r\n
How to identify feminine French nouns
\r\nSome noun endings typically designate female gender and some common examples.\r\n| Noun Ending | \r\nExamples | \r\n
|---|---|
| -ade | \r\nfaade (facade), promenade\r\n(a walk), limonade (lemon\r\ndrink) | \r\n
| -ance | \r\nenfance (childhood), naissance\r\n(birth), assurance\r\n(insurance) | \r\n
| -e | \r\nide (idea), journe\r\n(day), mosque\r\n(mosque) | \r\n
| -ence | \r\ndiffrence (difference),\r\ninnocence (innocence), influence\r\n(influence) | \r\n
| -ette | \r\ncrevette (shrimp), chaussette\r\n(sock), baguette\r\n(baguette) | \r\n
| -ie | \r\ncomdie (comedy), industrie\r\n(industry), dmographie\r\n(demography) | \r\n
| -sion | \r\nprvision (forecast),\r\ncomprhension (understanding),\r\nrvision (revision) | \r\n
| -t | \r\nsocit (society),\r\npublicit (advertising),\r\ncharit (charity) | \r\n
| -ti | \r\namiti (friendship),\r\nmoiti (half), piti\r\n(pity) | \r\n
| -tion | \r\ninformation (information),\r\nducation (education), question\r\n(question) | \r\n
| -ure | \r\nvoiture (car), couverture\r\n(blanket), confiture\r\n(jelly/jam) | \r\n
Véronique Mazet has a doctorate in French from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of two successful grammar books. Although, thats not how languages work. Languages can be confusing, especially when there are so many differences and exceptions. Allons-y! Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Is there a free way to lookup a phone number? One thing that will definitely help you improve your French is to know the gender of nouns. If she wants to serve her child a glass of tisane, she will call for a glass of water or ask her husband to make a pot of tea; if she wants her child to drink some th, she will simply call for the teapot and pour herself a cup. But, if you are an intermediate, then you might be familiar with compound tenses. ", EXCETION TO CAPITALIZING SOMEONES NATIONALITY IN FRENCH. 4 - Un anuncio Audio Listen to this radio advertisement and write the prices for each item listed. Simple, right? "French Nouns With Two Genders." . Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. ThoughtCo. Nouns in red are feminine, nouns in blue are masculine. Thats why we put together this guide to help you better understand this subject. For example, un bureau (desk) is masculine and une chaise (chair) is feminine. Well thats how the gender influence the past participle. I think the hardest part of language learning is that there are those distinctions in masculine and feminine. (2021, December 6). On the other hand, French has three: . We wont cover that here but will probably do in the future. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. la carotte. See how the ending changes? Is Carrot masculine or feminine in French? It doesnt make sense. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/french-nouns-with-two-genders-1371193. Tea can be made using nearly anything. Only 11 have permanent populations. Thats why we put together this guide to help you better understand this subject. The only 6 country names in French that end with -E, that are masculine are: Some countries, like the United States, are always plural and take the article -les. You shouldnt say oui in all situations! Your article is a great resource. I have to say that French is another hard language, not only the grammar but also the pronunciation especially for me. The contents of the TopicTea.com website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on this site (Content) are for informational purposes only. Salut! In French, all nouns have a genderthey are either masculine or feminine. The only thing I remember (and I may not remember it correctly) is Je suis formidable. (I am great). Over 100,000 French translations of English words and phrases. without ad revenue we can't exist. What is meant by the competitive environment? directeur → masculine Capitalized or Not? A List of English Singulars That Are French Plurals, Masculine and Feminine French Nouns ~ Noms, Understanding and Using French Adjectives (Adjectifs), French Demonstrative Adjectives: Adjectifs Dmonstratifs, French Words Describing the Home ('la Maison'), Learn French Prepositions with Geographical Names, It's 'Ces Filles' in French, Not 'Cettes'. We use de l for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. To put sentences on the same note. We dont spam! *How do you know if the gender of a country name in French is masculine or feminine? If country name ends in (-en): Add (ne) to end. Only nouns and adjectives can be masculine or feminine. Who decided tables were women, but horses were men?! One such appliance is the Human body and mind are inseparable. Now, that doesnt mean that you should completely ignore it either. You can find a detailed example on this article about the adjective cute in French. Other words have two different forms for masculine and feminine versions ( un avocat/une avocate, un acteur/une actrice) or a single form that refers to a man or a woman depending on which article is used ( un touriste/une touriste, un artiste/une artiste). In general, the words that end in -e, -o, and -l are all feminine while the words that end in -r are all masculine. Un film f ranais. Note: L is used when the noun starts with a vowel. This applies to both masculine and feminine nouns. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. For example, man is un Homme (masculine), and girl is one fille (feminine). The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. Gender of nouns is here to make it all sound beautiful together. It actually surprised me that they have a gender for letters. Probably a good idea to memorize this list. I found your site very informative. In general, the words that end in -e, -o, and -l are all feminine while the words that end in -r are all masculine. Bye in French? Because you understand genders, you know what to look out for when you build a sentence and want to use the right gender at the right time. Lets break this down. Country names in French: Masculin, Feminine, Capitalized? Gender doesnt matter. French words are not capitalized as often as they are in English. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". In my language, we do not have the male for female words for things, we just add another word to the back and done deal, lol. Lets start with masculine nouns. So even if LAcadmie Franaise ruled and officially stated that the word Covid (the COVID virus) is feminine In reality, French people had decided way before that by using the masculine. For example: The word cheval ( horse) is masculine, whereas jument ( mare) is feminine, because they both reflect the gender of the animal. A French teacher tells you what are the best French textbooks. (Good idea, lets visit French-speaking countries. Why are fried eggs in France always Sunny Side up? Ive confused myself, now. Is tree masculine or feminine in french? EXCEPT, 1 noun doesnt equal to one definition. Examples: une fille (a girl), une voiture (a car), une fentre (a window), etc. As a color, it's masculine, but as a flower, it's feminine. So if one is feminine, then the other need to be too. Why are French words masculine and feminine? Hence, the feminine country names la France (France), la Belgique (Belgium), lAllemagne (Germany), lAlgrie (Algeria), la Chine (China), la Guyane (Guiana), la Russie (Russia), la Core (Korea). : The car is red. emma watson speech ethos pathos logos; gambino crime family current boss; my natural insight login; abbie friedman jim snyder wedding Most places ending in -e are feminine. Names of automobiles: une Renault (a Renault), une Porsche (a Porsche), une Fiat (a Fiat). After living in France while raising my three children over the last 11 years, i've accumulated a lot of insider knowledge. Elle est rouge. There is a whole series that end in -ie, they are all feminine. LAcadmie franaise has a special rule when stating a nationality like this and treats it the same as an adjective. Let's start with definite articles. (Very useful to know where to place words in sentences!). is a lie. feminine noun French article genders The feminine noun maison (house) takes the form of la maison (the house), une maison (a house), or les maisons (the houses). Thats the $64,000 question, right? Like almost all other French nouns, it has a gender, meaning that it is classified as either masculine or feminine. This corresponds to the Latin -ia, which is found in the Roman languages. But the thing is thats not where you should start. Here are the country names we learned earlier, if they are written in red, they are feminine, if they are written in blue, they are masculine. In French, the article you choose depends on the gender of the noun. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (chinois, chinoise), (sudois, sudoise), (danois, danoise, (qubcois, qubcoise), etc. Spanish is my native language, and even though we have grammatical genders, we still get confused when studying genders in French. For example, un bureau (desk) is masculine and une chaise (chair) is feminine. Copy The gender of the French word montre is feminine. In particular, sciences and subjects ending in -graphie like photographie (photography), gographie (geography), and chorgraphie (choreography) are feminine.
\r\n\r\n \tNames of automobiles: une Renault (a Renault), une Porsche (a Porsche), une Fiat (a Fiat).
\r\nNames of businesses: boulangerie (bread shop), parfumerie (perfume shop), charcuterie (deli).
\r\nVéronique Mazet has a doctorate in French from the University of Texas at Austin and is the author of two successful grammar books. Its kind of subjective. For instance, some nouns are always masculine no matter what, like un sac (a bag), un manteau (an overcoat), and un ordinateur (a computer).\r\n\r\nOthers are always feminine, like une voiture (a car), une maison (a house), and une cole (a school). And some words are the tricksters of the bunch, taking on different meanings with different genders, like livre, which is a book when masculine but a pound when feminine!\r\n
How to identify masculine French nouns
\r\nYou can recognize many masculine nouns by the type of ending they have.\r\n| Noun Ending | \r\nExamples | \r\n
|---|---|
| -acle | \r\nmiracle (miracle), spectacle\r\n(show), obstacle\r\n(obstacle) | \r\n
| -age | \r\nfromage (cheese), voyage\r\n(trip), bagage\r\n(luggage) | \r\n
| -aire | \r\nfrigidaire (fridge), anniversaire\r\n(birthday), commentaire\r\n(commentary) | \r\n
| - (but not -t) | \r\ndegr (degree),\r\nmarch (market), cong\r\n(holiday) | \r\n
| -eau | \r\ndrapeau (flag), chapeau\r\n(hat), cadeau\r\n(gift) | \r\n
| -er and -ier | \r\ndner (dinner), panier\r\n(basket), cahier\r\n(notebook) | \r\n
| -isme | \r\ntourisme (tourism), absolutisme\r\n(absolutism), capitalisme\r\n(capitalism) | \r\n
| -ment | \r\ngouvernement (government), ornement\r\n(ornament), divertissement\r\n(entertainment) | \r\n