GRAMMAIRE: GENDER OF FRENCH NOUNS

Every French noun is either masculine or feminine, and this affects how the noun is
treated. This phenomenon comes from the language’s Latin origins.
When learning the gender of French nouns, keep in mind that the meaning of the noun
usually has nothing to do with whether it is masculine or feminine. Think of it as an
arbitrary convention. You more or less have to memorize the gender of each noun,
although you can often (but not always) tell whether a word is masculine or feminine by
looking at its ending. Masculine nouns often have these endings:
• aire
• asme
• é
• eau
• et
• ien
• isme
• in
• nt
• oir
Feminine nouns often have these endings:

• ade
• aison
• ance
• ande
• ence
• ise
• son
• té
• tié
• ture
• ude

Max Oratio Amuzu

GRAMMAIRE: INDEFINIT ARTICLES
In French, the indefinite articles are un, une, and des.
Un is used before singular masculine nouns, and une is used before singular feminine
nouns.
—for example:
J’ai un livre.
(I have a book.)
Je veux acheter une maison.
(I want to buy a house.)
In these sentences, neither livre nor maison applies to a particular item that is
understood by the listener. Livre is a singular masculine noun, so it is preceded
by un; maison is a singular feminine noun, so it is preceded by une.
des
As an indefinite article, des is the equivalent of the English some or any. It’s used before
plural nouns of either gender—for example:
Nous avons acheté des livres.
(We bought books.)
Nous avons acheté des livres, des magazines, un stylo, et une chaise.
We bought books, magazines, a pen, and a chair.

Max Oratio Amuzu