French Tutorial
French Nouns - Gender and Plural Form
GENDER: In French nouns are either masculine or feminine. To remember the correct gender of a noun, learn the definite article with each new noun.
Ending and Suffixes
Below are endings and suffixes that are commonly masculine and feminine with a few exceptions.
| Masculine |
Feminine |
-asme
-age
except: une image - image, une page - page, une rage - rage
-ème
except: crème - cream
-ement
-eur
except abstract nouns
-gramme
-graphe
-isme
-logue
-mètre
-oir
-pode
-scaphe
-té
except abstract nouns
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-ade
except: jade
-ance
-ée
except: un athée - atheist
un lycée - high school
un mausolée - mausoleum
un pygmée - pygmy
un scarabée - beetle
un trophée -trophy
-ence
-eur
except concrete nouns and persons
-euse
-ise
-lle
except: le vermicelle - vermicelli
le polichinelle - Punch (marionette)
-nne
-ose
-sse
-tte
-trice
-tion
except: un bastion - vermicelli
-son
except: un bison - buffalo
un blason - coat of arms
un blouson - overall
un diapason - tuning fork
un poison - poison
un tison - fire brand
un vison - mink
-sion
-té
except concrete nouns
-ude
-tié
-ure
except: un augure - omen
un mercure - mercury
un murmure - murmur, whisper
all chemistry terms in -ure
-oire
except: un accessoire - accessory
un auditoire - audience
un iterrogatoire - questioning
un ivoire - ivory
un laboratoire - laboratory
un mémoire - research paper
un observatoire - observatory
un promontoire - promontory
un réfectoire - dining hall
un répertoire - repertory
un territoire - territory
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PLURAL FORM: The plural of most French nouns is formed by adding s to the singular.
la table - les tables
l'amie - les amies
Irregular Plural of Nouns
1. Nouns ending in s, x , z in singular remain unchanged in the plural:
| Singular |
Plural |
| bras - arm |
bras - arms |
| choix - choice |
choix - choices |
| nez - nose |
nez - noses |
2. Nouns ending in au, eau, eu in singular form the plural by adding x to the singular:
| Singular |
Plural |
| landau - baby carriage |
landaux - baby carriages |
| bureau - office |
bureaux - offices |
| feu - fire |
feux - fires |
| cadeau - present |
cadeaux - presents |
3. Nouns ending in al, ail in singular form the plural by changing al and ail to aux:
| Singular |
Plural |
| jounal - paper |
journaux - papers |
| travail - work |
travaux - works |
Exceptions:
bal - bals - dance
détail - détails detail
aval - avals endorsement
cal - cals callous
chacal - chacals jackal
festival - festivals festival
pal - pals stake
récital - récitals recital
régal - régals treat, feast
4. Nouns ending in ou in singular form the plural by adding s to the singular.
Exceptions:
bijou - bijoux jewel
caillou - cailloux stone
chou - choux cabbage
genou - genoux knee
hibou - hiboux owl
joujou - joujoux toy (child speak)
pou - poux louse
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