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French Nouns
Gender
By Talk in French
Whenever I ask a student what is the most difficult part about learning French there are 3
typical answers:
- French Pronunciation
- The tense
- The gender of words
Ah the infamous French gender for words. Why do we have those rules for words? Who
plays heads or tails with each word and decides that a table (une table) is feminine and a
book (un livre) is masculine. Nonsense!
Well, I feel the pain and this book tries to tackle this issue in two major ways.
1/ Understand the logic behind the gender (because yeah there is a sort of logic/pattern
behind the words)
2/ Try to create some automatic reflex when it comes to choosing the gender. The objective
is to develop a reflex when you say the word in French.
Pattern
Masculine words:
Part 1 Typically masculine nouns
Nouns ending in b, c, cle, d, k, l, m, oir, p are in general masculine, but they tend to be a bit rare.
1/ New words, mostly from English or new technologies, ending in ing and isme
un parking
un mcanisme
2/ - ge:
le mange (merry go round)
un arpge (arpagio)
Exception: La Norvge (Norway)
3/ -
Example:
le caf (coffee or caf)
le canap (the sofa)
le carr (the square)
le dfil (the procession)
le supermarch (the supermarket).
Exceptions: la cl (key), la psych
4/ - ment
le gouvernement (the government)
un appartement (a flat)
5/ - eau
le bateau (the boat)
le manteau (the coat)
le chapeau (the hat)
loiseau (the bird).
Exceptions: leau (water), la peau (skin).
6/-in:
le vin (the wine)
le magasin (the shop)
le dessin (the drawing)
le chemin (the road, way)
le jardin (the garden).
Exception: la fin (the end).
7/ - on
le salon (the sitting room)
le poisson (the fish)
le garon (the boy)
le pantalon (the trousers).
Exception: la maison (the house).
8/ - s
le bus (bus)
le bas (bottom)
le plus (the plus)
Exceptions: la brebis (female sheep), la fois (time), une oasis, la souris (mouse), la vis (screw)
3/ -eur
le travailleur (the worker)
un ascenseur (a lift)
le moteur (the moteur (the motor)
un aspirateur (a vacuum cleaner).
Exceptions: la douleur (the pain), la chaleur (the heat).
4/ -o
le vlo (a bike)
le zro (zero).
Exceptions: la mteo (the weather forecast), la moto (motobyke), la radio (radio)
Feminine words:
1/ Nouns of countries that end in e are usually feminine:
La France
lAngleterre
la Turquie
Exception: Le Mexique, Le Cambodge, Le Zymbabwe
2/ All the nouns ending in a double consonnante + e are usually feminine
elle, enne, emme, esse, erre, ette
la pelle (shovel)
une selle (sattle)
la chaussette (the sock)
la fillette (the little girl)
Exception: le squelette (the skeleton).
10/- ade
la promenade (the walk)
la limonade.
Exceptions: le grade, le jade, le stade (stadium).
11/- e
la fuse (the rocket)
une cuillere (a spoonful)
Exceptions: le lyce (the school), le muse (the museum).
11/ - erie (in partircular shop)
la boulangerie (the bakery)
la boucherie (the butchers)
la librairie (the bookshop)
12/ -re
la mre (the mother)
la manire (the manner)
Exceptions: le pre (the father), le frre (the brother), le cimetire (cemetary), larrire (the back).
13/ -ique
la boutique
la musique
Exceptions: le plastique, le moustique (the mosquito).
14/ -ine,
la cousine (cousin)
la poitrine (chest).
Exception: le magazine.
15/ -ise
la surprise
la mise (the amount you bet).
16/-ure,
la chaussure (the shoe)
la blessure (the wound)
17/ -rice, (mostly occupations)
la directrice (the female director)
une actrice (an actress), la traductrice (the female translator).
Exception: Le dentifrice (the toothpaste)
Please dont cry, and take it easy. We have the gender drill to fix this memorization issue.
And now...
The drill
How it works?
The idea is to create an automatism. So do not hesitate to listen again
and again.
1/ Print the vocabulary of the day sheet or write down the word (this
can help to memorize the word).
2/ Listen to the track Gender Drill Day X at normal speed. Listen to it 1
or 2 times
3/ Listen to the track Gender Drill Day X at slow speed. Between each
gap, repeat out loud the word. Do it 1 or 2 times.
4/ Listen to the track Gender Drill Day X at random and repeat it out
loud. Do it 1 or 2 times
5/ Test yourself. Listen to the track Gender Drill Day X quiz. Listen to
the word and try to say it before the answer.
For example:
The track: Mari
You: Un mari
The track: Un mari (the answer)
Use the vocabulary sheet of the day and check if you do it correctly. If
not straight away, do not hesitate to do it again.
Day 1:
Un homme
Un mari
Une femme
Un Jour
Une mer
Un temps
Une Main
Une chose
Une vie
Un oeil des yeux
Une heure
Un monde
Un enfant
Une fois
Un moment
Une tte
Un pre
Une fille
Un coeur
Un an
man
husband
woman
day
sea
time
hand
thing
life
One eye - eyes
time
world
child
time
time/ moment
head
father
girl
heart
year
Un homme
Un mari
Une femme
Un Jour
Une mer
Un temps
Une Main
Une chose
Une vie
Un il / des yeux
Une heure
Un monde
Un enfant
Une fois
Un moment
Une tte
Un pre
Une fille
Un coeur
Un an
Week 1 Recap:
Day 1- Day 5
Here is a random selection of words. Put the right gender (e.g: Un cahier) in front of each words. Listen
the answer (track: Recap Week 1)
Temps
Chose
Vie
Moment
Jour
Terre
Mot
Coup
Maison
Nom
Eau
Rue
Soir
Mois
Raison
Personne
Pense
Affaire
Doute
besoin
Sorte
Bout
Chambre
Bruit
Ct
Ville
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