Le genre et le nombre des noms
Masculine or feminine, singular or plural
⚡Key points
Le genre : masculin ou féminin
In French every noun is masculine or feminine. Gender is not tied to meaning and is not predictable: le livre (the book) is masculine, la table (the table) is feminine. You recognise gender from the article (le / un = masculine, la / une = feminine).
Gender markers
| Masculine | le / un | le livre (the book), un stylo (a pen) |
| Feminine | la / une | la table (the table), une fleur (a flower) |
| Before a vowel | l’ | l’ami, l’école — gender hidden, check the adjective |
Endings that are often masculine
-age
le fromage (cheese)
le voyage (trip)
le garage (garage)
-ment
le moment (moment)
le document (document)
le gouvernement (government)
-eau
le bureau (office, desk)
le château (castle)
le cadeau (gift)
Endings that are often feminine
-tion
la nation (nation)
la question (question)
la station (station)
-té
la liberté (freedom)
la beauté (beauty)
la cité (city)
-ette
la fourchette (fork)
la baguette (baguette)
la bicyclette (bicycle)
💡💡 Learn each noun with its article
Dialogue: at home
Léa: Do you have a pen and a sheet of paper? | Max: Yes, here is the pen. The sheet is on the table. | Léa: Thanks! And the French book? | Max: It is in the bag, with the pencil case.
Le nombre : singulier et pluriel
The singular refers to one thing, the plural to several. Usually you add an -s in the plural — but that -s is silent. In speech it is the article that shows the number: le chat → les chats.
Forming the plural
| General rule | + s | le chat → les chats, une pomme → des pommes |
| Nouns in -s, -x, -z | = (no change) | le bus → les bus, la voix → les voix, le nez → les nez |
| Nouns in -eau, -au | + x | le bureau → les bureaux, le gâteau → les gâteaux |
| Nouns in -al | → -aux | le journal → les journaux, le cheval → les chevaux |
| Nouns in -eu | + x | le jeu → les jeux, le cheveu → les cheveux |
💡🔊 You mostly hear the plural through the article
Dialogue: at the market
Customer: I would like some apples and some tomatoes. | Vendor: Here you go. Would you also like the strawberries? They are very good. | Customer: Yes, and two baguettes, please. | Vendor: The baguettes are right there. Here you go, have a good day!