General Rules
1. Masculine nouns often refer to male beings or have specific endings.
2. Feminine nouns often refer to female beings or have distinct endings.
Common Endings for Masculine Words
• Words ending in:
• -age (e.g., le fromage – cheese)
• -eau (e.g., le château – castle)
• -isme (e.g., le tourisme – tourism)
• -ment (e.g., le monument – monument)
• -oir (e.g., le miroir – mirror)
• -teur (e.g., le moteur – motor)
Common Endings for Feminine Words
• Words ending in:
• -ade (e.g., la promenade – walk)
• -ance (e.g., la chance – luck)
• -ence (e.g., la patience – patience)
• -ette (e.g., la cigarette – cigarette)
• -ine (e.g., la cuisine – kitchen)
• -ise (e.g., la surprise – surprise)
• -tion (e.g., la nation – nation)
• -té (e.g., la liberté – freedom)
Exceptions
French has many exceptions to these patterns. For example:
• Masculine: le problème (problem), le programme (program)
• Feminine: la plage (beach), la cage (cage)
Tips for Learning
1. Use a Dictionary: A dictionary will indicate the gender of a word with m (masculine) or f (feminine).
2. Pay Attention to Articles:
• Masculine nouns use le (the) or un (a).
• Feminine nouns use la (the) or une (a).
3. Learn Words in Phrases: Memorizing words along with their articles (e.g., le livre, la maison) helps you internalize their gender.
