In French, every noun belongs to a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine. Le livre is masculine, la table is feminine. Gender is part of the word itself, like its sense or its plural, and it must be learned with the noun. With Noms, gender serves to form the correct word groups around the noun.

Gender is often visible thanks to the determiner that accompanies the noun. We say le garçon, la fille, un jardin, une maison. The article gives an immediate clue, even when the end of the noun shows nothing. This is why the Articles définis and the indefinite articles are essential for recognizing gender.

Gender marking in determiners

Usage	Explanation
Masculine article	The masculine gender is often recognized with le and un before the noun.
Feminine article	The feminine gender is often recognized with la and une before the noun.
Indication in the plural	In the plural, the determiner keeps the gender of the noun even if the word changes number.

Names of people often follow the person’s sex: un frère, une sœur, un acteur, une actrice. But this link is not automatic. Some names stay fixed, like une personne or une victime, regardless of sex. Others change according to meaning or form, so you have to learn each word with its gender.

Gender of names of people and professions

Idea
The noun often follows the sex of the person when it designates a human being.
Some nouns stay fixed and keep the same gender for both sexes.
The gender of the word does not always show the sex of the person.

Some endings very often indicate a masculine noun. This is the case of -age in le garage, -isme in le tourisme, and -ment in le gouvernement. These endings give a useful hint, but they do not replace learning the whole word. When a noun ends like this, the masculine determiner usually appears with it.

Endings often masculine for nouns

Idea
Nouns ending in age are very often masculine.
Nouns ending in isme are very often masculine.
Nouns ending in ment are very often masculine.

Other endings often lead to the feminine. For example, -tion in la nation, -sion in la décision, -té in la liberté, and -ure in la voiture. The pattern helps to guess the gender, but it does not guarantee anything for every word. It remains necessary to check the noun with its article.

Endings often feminine for nouns

Idea
Nouns ending in tion are often feminine.
Nouns ending in ture are often feminine.
Nouns ending in ette are often feminine.

Many nouns offer no clear hint. La mer, le pain, la chaise and le cœur do not follow an obvious logic for a beginner. In these cases, gender is learned with the whole word and with its article. Learning le or la with the noun avoids errors in the entire noun phrase.

un arbreun moustiqueun nuageune fleurun villageune plageune sourisune chaise

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Végétal ligneux qui pousse dans un jardin ou une forêtBande de sable au bord de la merPetit rongeur souvent rapide et discretPartie colorée d’une planteSiège simple pour s’asseoirPetit insecte qui bourdonne et piquePetit ensemble d’habitationsMasse de vapeur visible dans le ciel

Common gendered nouns to memorize

Word	Definition
un arbre	Woody plant that grows in a garden or forest.
une chaise	Simple seat for sitting.
un moustique	Small insect that buzzes and bites.
une souris	Small rodent often quick and discreet.
un nuage	Mass of vapor visible in the sky.
une plage	Band of sand at the edge of the sea.
un village	Small set of dwellings.
une fleur	Colored part of a plant.

Scramble

Some words change meaning according to their gender. Le livre is an object to read, but la livre can refer to an old currency or a unit of weight. Le manche is the handle of a tool, while la manche is the sleeve of a garment. So gender is not only a grammatical form: it can modify the sense of the word.

la modele livrele modela livrele tourla tour

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Action de tourner ou petit parcoursAncienne monnaie ou unité de poids selon le contexteObjet imprimé à lireTendance vestimentaire ou esthétiqueFaçon de faire ou manière de fonctionnerGrande construction haute

Words whose gender changes meaning

Word	Definition
le livre	Printed object to read.
la livre	Old currency or unit of weight depending on context.
le tour	Action of turning or short journey.
la tour	Large tall structure.
le mode	Way of doing or manner of functioning.
la mode	Fashion trend or aesthetic.

Scramble

The determiner and the adjective agree in gender with the noun. We say ce chien noir and cette voiture noire, un grand frère and une grande sœur. The noun imposes its form on the words that accompany it. With Adjectifs qualificatifs, the agreement of the adjective follows directly this principle.

Agreement of the noun group in gender

Idea
The determiner agrees in gender with the noun it accompanies.
The adjective agrees in gender with the noun it describes.
When the noun changes gender, the whole noun phrase changes as well.

The plural changes the number, not the gender. Le chat becomes les chats and la fleur becomes les fleurs, but chat remains masculine and fleur remains feminine. The plural brings together several elements under the same grammatical gender. The forms of the determiner and the adjective change, while the gender of the noun remains the same.

Gender kept in the plural

Idea
The plural changes the number but not the gender of the noun.
The plural determiner keeps the singular gender information.
Adjectives follow the gender of the noun even in the plural.