Gender agreement in French is the rule that all parts of speech connected to a noun—such as adjectives, articles, and some pronouns—must be consistent in gender (masculine or feminine) with that noun. This means if a noun is feminine, any word describing or referring to it must also take a feminine form; the same goes for masculine nouns.
- Nouns are either masculine or feminine; all related words must match this gender.
- Adjectives change their endings to agree with the noun’s gender.
- Articles and some pronouns also change form based on gender.
In French, gender agreement means that words related to a noun must match its gender.
Nouns, adjectives, articles, and some pronouns are affected by gender agreement.
Masculine and Feminine Forms
Every French noun belongs to either the masculine or feminine category. This gender classification determines the forms of the words used with the noun.
- Masculine nouns typically use the definite article le; feminine nouns use la.
- When the noun is plural, masculine or mixed group uses les, and feminine plural also uses les (but all related words reflect plural forms).
- Adjectives usually add -e for the feminine form (if it’s not already there).
Noun gender is identified by its article and sometimes by common noun endings.
Le is used for masculine and La for feminine singular nouns.
| Noun (Singular) | Gender | Definite Article | Example Adjective | Adjective (Feminine) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| livre (book) | M | le | intéressant | intéressante |
| voiture (car) | F | la | rapide | rapide |
Adjective Agreement
Adjectives change form to match the gender (and number) of the noun they describe:
- Most adjectives add -e for feminine (if not already present).
- For masculine: intéressant / For feminine: intéressante.
- For plural: add -s to both masculine and feminine forms (feminine plural often ends in -es).
Examples:
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Un livre intéressant | Des livres intéressants |
| Feminine | Une voiture intéressante | Des voitures intéressantes |
Adjectives change their endings to match the noun’s gender and number.
An adjective ending in -et (masculine) usually changes to -ette for the feminine.
Articles and Pronouns
Articles:
| Gender | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine | le, un | les, des |
| Feminine | la, une | les, des |
- Un/une are indefinite articles (a/an) and also follow gender.
- Le/la/les are definite articles (the).
Examples:
- Le garçon (the boy), la fille (the girl)
- Un chien (a dog - masc.), une chatte (a cat - fem.)
- Les enfants (the children - plural for both genders)
Un is masculine and une is feminine for indefinite articles.
Le, La, and Les are the definite articles.
Pronouns:
Subject pronouns also reflect gender for third person singular:
- Il = he/it (masc.)
- Elle = she/it (fem.)
For direct object pronouns, gender matters too:
- Le (him/it masc.), La (her/it fem.), Les (them)
Conclusion
Mastering gender agreement is essential for French fluency. Remember that all parts of speech connected to a noun—articles, adjectives, and pronouns—must reflect its gender and number.
- Nouns are masculine or feminine, and this affects related words.
- Adjectives change endings to match gender and number.
- Articles and pronouns also shift forms for gender agreement.