Ch 2 · Lesson 16French · Chapter 2 · Lesson 16 · Grammar primer
Gender by ending: -tion, -age and the exceptions
A handful of endings predict gender: -tion, -té and -ure are feminine, -age, -ment and -eau masculine. Then the famous exceptions: , .
The short version
The ending often tells you the gender
,
Why?Hide
French nouns rarely show their gender, but a few endings do it reliably. Words in -tion, -sion, -té and -ure are feminine; words in -age, -ment and -eau are masculine. Learn the famous exceptions by name: , , , , and .
The good news: endings predict most genders
A handful of endings predict gender very reliably. Learn them once and thousands of nouns fall into place.
endings
| Ending | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| -tion | | the nation |
| -sion | | the television |
| -té | | freedom |
| -ence | | science |
| -ure | | the car |
| -ette | | the |
| -ée | | the day |
endings
| Ending | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| -age | | the cheese |
| - | | the moment |
| - | | the office |
| -isme | | the mechanism |
| -oir | | the mirror |
In a sentence: . - The television is small. . - The cheese is good.
The exceptions are short and famous. Learn them by name:
| Exception | Despite | English |
|---|---|---|
| - | the water |
| - | the skin |
| -age | the beach |
| -age | the page |
| -age | the picture |
| -té | the summer |
| -té | the side |
| -ence | the silence |
| -ée | the museum |
. - The water is cold. The feminine is the giveaway.
Going further: What gender actually is and the rest of the guide, when you want them. This lesson does not need them.
Practice
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One question at a time, mixed across the exercises in this lesson. Miss one and it comes back round before the end.
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Lesson 16 of 42 in this chapter