Salut chers amis (saloo sherzami)!
We hope you've been fining it easy to identify the gender of nouns in French from our previous classes.
Today we will continue from where we stopped last time. In this lesson we are going to see some endings for knowing a masculine noun from a feminine noun with their exceptions (most especially for inanimate objects).
Permit me to say here again that mastering the exceptions can go a long way in having more than a nodding acquaintance of the gender of french nouns. The reason is that, once you know the exceptions you can freely guess right for other nouns.
Do also have it in mind that this is just a guide and not a rule persay. But it can go a very long way in helping you to identify masculine and feminine nouns in French by their endings.
When a french noun ends with the following, it is a masculine noun:
-ail : Le travail => Job/work, Le portail => gate
-isme : Le tourisme => Tourism, Le nationalisme => Nationalism
-eil : Le soleil => Sun, L'accueil => reception
-ai : Le delai => delay, Le minerai => ore
-ment : Le balancement => swing, Le déboisement => deforestation
-Ing : Le parking => parking, Le camping => camping
-oir : Le couloir => corridor, Le rasoir => razor
-ou : Le cou => neck, Le trou => hole
-et : Le projet => plan/project, Le fouet => whip
-euil : Le deuil => grief , Le fauteuil => armchair
-ès : Le succès => success , Le procès => trial/action
-at : Le débat => debate, Le célibat => bachelorhood
Some exceptions :
-age : une cage, une image, la nage, une page, la rage, une plage
-ment : la jument
A french noun is FEMININE when it has the following endings:
-tion : La nation => Nation, La révolution => revolution
-aise : La chaise => chair, La fraise => strawberry
-ette : La recette => recipe, La dette => debt
-sse : La grossesse => pregnancy, La baisse => fall/drop
-aison : La maison => house, La saison => season
-ense : La defense => defense, La depense => expense
-tié : La moitie => Half, La pitié => mercy/sympathy
-lle : La ville => city/town, La famille => family
-ence : L'existence => existence, l'agence => agency
-ure : La culture => culture, La serrure => lock (of door)
-ine : La piscine => swimming pool, La mine => coal mine
-ance : La chance => luck, La lance => nozzle
-nne : La bonne => maid, La couronne => crown
-sion : La vision => vison, La conclusion => conclusion
-eine : La peine => pain, La veine => vein
Some exceptions:
-tion : un bastion
-ette : le squelette
-ense : le suspense
-ence: le silence
-lle : un intervalle, le polichinelle, le vermicelle, le violoncelle, un bacille, le mille, un vaudeville, un tulle, le gorille, le chèvrefeuille, un portefeuille, le libelle
-ine : un magazine, le platine
I believe this would be of great help to you .Feel free to ask questions. Drop your comment in the comment box.
Till we meet again, don't forget that French is a beautiful language.
Awodirepo O.
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