Understanding French Gender and Number
French nouns have two genders (masculine/feminine) and two numbers (singular/plural). These characteristics affect all related words including articles, adjectives, and sometimes verbs.
Gender (le genre):
- Masculine: le, un, ce, mon
- Feminine: la, une, cette, ma
Number (le nombre):
- Singular: one item
- Plural: multiple items
Agreement principle:
All words that modify or relate to a noun must agree in gender and number. This creates a chain of agreement throughout the sentence.
Understanding gender and number is fundamental to French grammar because it affects every aspect of sentence construction.
Examples
Un petit chat noir (A small black cat) - Masculine singular
All words agree: un (masc. sing.), petit (masc. sing.), chat (masc. sing.), noir (masc. sing.)
Des petites voitures rouges (Small red cars) - Feminine plural
All words agree: des (plural), petites (fem. plural), voitures (fem. plural), rouges (plural)
Gender Patterns and Recognition
While French gender can seem arbitrary, there are helpful patterns:
Common Gender Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine endings | -age, -isme, -ment | le voyage, le tourisme, le moment |
| Feminine endings | -tion, -sion, -té | la nation, la passion, la beauté |
| Masculine | -eau, -eu | le bateau, le feu |
| Feminine | -ure, -ence, -ance | la nature, la science, la chance |
| Usually masculine | days, months, seasons | le lundi, janvier, le printemps |
| Usually feminine | countries ending in -e | la France, la Chine |
Reliable Masculine Patterns
Endings that are almost always masculine:
-age: le garage, le fromage, le voyage
-ment: le moment, le document, le gouvernement
Reliable Feminine Patterns
Endings that are almost always feminine:
-tion: la nation, la station, la création
-té: la beauté, la liberté, la vérité
Exceptions to Learn
Important exceptions to memorize:
Feminine -age: la page, la plage, la cage
Masculine -té: le côté, le comité, le traité
Number Formation: Singular to Plural
French plural formation follows regular patterns with some exceptions:
Plural Formation Rules
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | + s | chat → chats, maison → maisons |
| Ends in -s, -x, -z | no change | fils → fils, prix → prix, nez → nez |
| Ends in -eau, -eu | + x | bateau → bateaux, feu → feux |
| Ends in -al | → -aux | animal → animaux, journal → journaux |
| Some -ou | → -oux | bijou → bijoux, chou → choux |
| Irregular | special forms | œil → yeux, monsieur → messieurs |
Regular Plural (+s)
Most nouns simply add -s:
le livre → les livres (books)
la table → les tables (tables)
No Change Plurals
Words ending in -s, -x, -z stay the same:
le fils → les fils (sons)
le prix → les prix (prices)
Special Plural Endings
Specific ending changes:
le bateau → les bateaux (boats)
l'animal → les animaux (animals)
Article Agreement
Articles must agree with noun gender and number:
Article Agreement Patterns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Definite | le/la/les | le chat, la maison, les chats, les maisons |
| Indefinite | un/une/des | un chat, une maison, des chats, des maisons |
| Partitive | du/de la/des | du pain, de la confiture, des fruits |
| Demonstrative | ce/cette/ces | ce chat, cette maison, ces chats/maisons |
| Possessive | mon/ma/mes | mon chat, ma maison, mes chats/maisons |
Definite Articles
The most common article pattern:
Masculine: le chat → les chats
Feminine: la voiture → les voitures
Special Cases
Articles before vowels and h:
l'homme → les hommes (masculine)
l'école → les écoles (feminine)
Adjective Agreement
Adjectives must agree in both gender and number with the nouns they modify:
Examples
Un chat noir → Des chats noirs (masculine)
Une voiture noire → Des voitures noires (feminine)
Le petit garçon → Les petits garçons
La petite fille → Les petites filles
Regular Adjective Agreement
Standard agreement patterns:
Adjective Agreement Forms
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | petit | un petit chat |
| Feminine singular | petite | une petite maison |
| Masculine plural | petits | des petits chats |
| Feminine plural | petites | des petites maisons |
Irregular Adjective Agreement
Some adjectives have irregular forms:
beau → belle → beaux → belles
vieux → vieille → vieux → vieilles
Complex Agreement Chains
In complex sentences, agreement affects multiple words:
Examples
Ces belles voitures rouges sont chères. (These beautiful red cars are expensive.)
All words agree with "voitures" (feminine plural): ces, belles, rouges, chères
Mes nouveaux amis français sont sympathiques. (My new French friends are nice.)
All words agree with "amis" (masculine plural): mes, nouveaux, français, sympathiques
Multiple Adjectives
When several adjectives modify one noun:
Une grande maison blanche et moderne (A big white and modern house)
All adjectives agree with "maison" (feminine singular)
Mixed Gender Agreement
When referring to mixed gender groups, use masculine plural:
Examples
Pierre et Marie sont français. (Pierre and Marie are French.)
Masculine plural "français" for mixed group
Les étudiants et les étudiantes sont intelligents. (The male and female students are intelligent.)
Masculine plural "intelligents" for mixed group
Mixed Group Rule
Masculine takes precedence in mixed groups:
10 femmes + 1 homme = ils (masculine plural)
Even one masculine element makes the group masculine
Agreement with Compound Nouns
Compound nouns follow specific agreement rules:
Examples
des grands-mères (grandmothers) - Both parts agree
des tire-bouchons (corkscrews) - Only noun part agrees
Noun + Noun Compounds
Both elements usually agree:
un grand-père → des grands-pères
une belle-mère → des belles-mères
Verb + Noun Compounds
Only the noun part agrees:
un tire-bouchon → des tire-bouchons
un porte-clés → des porte-clés
Agreement in Different Tenses
Gender and number agreement applies across all tenses:
Examples
Elle était petite. → Elles étaient petites. (She was small. → They were small.)
Il sera grand. → Ils seront grands. (He will be tall. → They will be tall.)
Past Participle Agreement
With être, past participles agree:
Elle est partie. → Elles sont parties.
Il est venu. → Ils sont venus.
Common Agreement Mistakes
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Forgetting adjective agreement: Not making adjectives agree with nouns
2. Wrong plural formation: Incorrect plural endings
3. Mixed gender confusion: Wrong agreement with mixed groups
4. Article disagreement: Articles not matching noun gender/number
Examples
❌ une voiture rouge → ✅ une voiture rouge
Wrong: adjective must agree with feminine noun
❌ des animaux → ✅ des animaux
Wrong: -al becomes -aux in plural
❌ Pierre et Marie sont françaises → ✅ Pierre et Marie sont français
Wrong: mixed group takes masculine plural
❌ le maison → ✅ la maison
Wrong: article must match noun gender