Do my native language (Latvian) also has that as I’ve never thought of it way? Just keep learning and practicing. This all comes from Latin. This applies to both masculine and feminine nouns. Words that end in --eau are usually masculine. Two genders: masculine and feminine. It’s interesting to learn how languages differ, isn’t it? On the other hand, French has three: un, une, and des. All rights reserved. You might protect things in your suitcase with plastique. Spanish is my native language, and even though we have grammatical genders, we still get confused when studying genders in French. Finally, for plural we use des. Every French noun is either masculine or feminine. Education Resources People's Choice Awards: Vote Now! For feminine nouns, use une for 'a' or 'an.' 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. More of that later. 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… When visiting with those who speaking English well it is always a bit intimidating for me as I realize I could do some improving. If you're traveling in France, you might wonder if your hotel room comes with une caftiè, which is a coffee-maker. That’s why we put together this guide to help you better understand this subject. We use l’ for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. However, for states and countries, it’s important to understand gender because this will tell us what prepositions to use with them. The following countries are masculine even though they end in -e: For cities, gender is no big deal since there are still some controversies among scholars. You'll use une fourchette, a fork, as well as une serviette, which is a napkin. Mon rêve est de devenir un chanteur aussi talentueux que la magnifique Céline Dion.". I didn’t take French class in high school, I took Spanish and I always wondered why the word “the” was never properly explained and I still wondered when to use as masculine or feminine or singular or plural. Thanks for commenting. They all have to agree in gender and quantity with the nouns they precede. That’s why many English speakers struggle with this aspect of French. The following nouns are generally feminine. Her pieces combine the masculine and feminine in sometimes provocative, always original creations. Many, not all, words with the following endings are feminine: --ière, --ette, --ique. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 79,000 Most words that end in a consonant are masculine. That’s not the case in French. (Hint: Sometimes there are no errors. At a restaurant, you might order un potage, a hearty vegetable soup. Gender doesn’t matter. And you can visit un village, a small town. Visit the Basic French: Help & Review page to learn more. 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However, it’s all part of the process. And yes, the word for 'man,' homme, is masculine. Not sure, we have that. Create your account. Words that refer to entities without sex—whether countries or objects—tend to obtain their gender assignment simply … There's no rule about what makes a word masculine or feminine, but you can learn to look for some hints. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. What do you think? The best way to master masculine versus feminine is to memorize the gender of every noun you learn. 's' : ''}}. Examples: du lait (some milk), du jus (some juice), du beurre (some butter), etc. Even for Spanish speakers and other speakers whose languages have genders, we sometimes make mistakes when telling genders apart. Cheers. It doesn’t matter if the nouns are masculine or feminine. When you learn French, you will notice that most nouns are paired with articles. study Thanks. Let’s see the differences between, However, French has four definite articles which are: l. . How do we know what is masculine and what is feminine? It’s easy to remember the gender of nouns like man, woman, girl, or boy, but in French, all nouns have gender. For plural nouns, we use des. You should definitely plan to visit un château while you're there. For cars, it highly depends. In French, words for people, like 'boy' and 'sister' generally match the gender of the person. If you're shopping in France, you might want to buy some masculine things like a purse, un sac, an iron, un fer, or a computer, un ordinateur . That’s the $64,000 question, right? An error occurred trying to load this video. first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. I have allowed myself to use such sloppy English that I have to stop and think sometimes when I say something, or mainly write. Ma chanteuse préférée est Céline Dion. You might have already noticed that feminine words tend to end with an e. To remember this hint, notice that the feminine une also ends with an e. Table, meaning 'table,' chaise, meaning 'chair,' lampe, meaning 'lamp,' chaussure, meaning 'shoe,' and étoile, meaning 'star,' are all feminine words. For cities, it’s almost always feminine. For example, in English, we just use “the” for everything whether it’s masculine/feminine or singular/plural. Some words are either masculine or feminine regardless of their ending. Don't try to decide if something is more macho or on the girly side. Maybe you'll bring along an iPad or another tablet, une tablette. Look at the table below for some of the most common noun endings in French. ), "Ma nom est Jean-Pierre Turcotte. It doesn’t matter if the nouns are masculine or feminine. articles), pronouns, and adjectives. Finally, we have les. As you might have guessed, the word for 'woman,' femme, is feminine. La patate était plus belle que la tomate. - Definition, Rules & Examples, Selecting Subject & Object Pronouns: Rules & Examples, Accuplacer ESL Listening Test: Practice & Study Guide, Accuplacer ESL Reading Skills Test: Practice & Study Guide, Introduction to Business: Homework Help Resource, Educational Psychology: Tutoring Solution, High School Biology: Homework Help Resource. Not only do things have genders in French, but cities, states, and countries do, too! I took one semester of French in college. Something in the inexpensive range? Elle a une voix exceptionelle. Places you go like a museum, un musée, a restaurant, un restaurant, a bank, which is une banque, or a beach, une plage, also are either masculine or feminine. I didn’t get far enough in my lessons to learn the articles and masculine and feminine. If you need to talk about things in French, don't try to use logic. The English equivalent is some. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you To say 'a woman' we say une femme. You'll pay with argent, which is money. Every noun in French has a gender. In reality, it’s the contraction of the articles le and la, but we switch them to l’ when they precede a noun starting with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u). We use it for plural nouns, whether they’re masculine or feminine. just create an account. And sure enough, it turns out our months are also all masculine or days are all feminine. However, French has four definite articles which are: le, la, l’, and les. Now let’s take a look at some typical feminine endings. Your site does a good job of expressing the differences and when to use one or the other, but I am still confused. I have also attempted to learn Spanish, American Sign Language and even music as a language. The same rules we mentioned above regarding endings apply here. If you admire French fashion, you might go shopping for un pantalon, a pair of pants. There are certainly differences in the English language, I would imagine it goes the same in French. For those delicious meals, you'll use un couteau, a knife. You made an interesting point there. Get access risk-free for 30 days, Sometimes it’s not logical; a person is feminine: une personne, and a child is masculine: un enfant. Most job titles are either masculine or feminine. Languages can be confusing, especially when there are so many differences and exceptions. Wow! Speaking of castles - France has loads of real castles. Il existe deux genres : masculin et féminin. Ma rêve est de devenir un chanteur aussi talentueux que le magnifique Céline Dion. Every noun in French has a gender. that was about 30 years ago. Let’s start with definite articles. I believe you have made a lot of valuable points for your readers in your niche and I think that they will receive value from your post. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. . How do you say happy anniversary in French? We won’t cover that here but will probably do in the future. For feminine singular nouns, we use une. I found your site very informative. The nouns listed below are generally masculine. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Most places ending in -e are feminine. I tried to study Russian a couple of years ago but didn’t continue.

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