French I - Nouns

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Study Guide French I – Nouns 1. Gender of Nouns in French 1. What a Noun Is A noun is a word that names a: • person • place • thing • idea • quality In bilingual dictionaries, nouns may be labeled as: • n. – noun • s. – substantive (another word for noun) Dictionaries also show gender: • m. → masculine • f. → feminine • m./f. → can be either masculine or feminine depending on the context. 2. Number and Gender of French Nouns Like English, French nouns have number : • singular → one o la famille (the family) • plural → more than one o les enfants (the children)
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Study Guide Unlike English, French nouns also have gender : • masculine • feminine Examples: • un garçon – a boy (masculine) • une fille – a girl (feminine) However, gender is not always logical: • une chemise – shirt (feminine) • un jupon – slip (masculine) Because of this, many noun genders must simply be memorized . 3. Obvious Masculine and Feminine Nouns When a noun refers to a male person , it is masculine. When it refers to a female person , it is feminine. Examples:
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Study Guide 4. Noun Endings That Suggest Gender Certain word endings often indicate whether a noun is masculine or feminine.
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Study Guide Common Masculine Endings Ending Example - acle spectacle - age village
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Study Guide - al journal - eau bureau - et cabinet - ier papier - isme cyclisme - ment changement Common Feminine Endings Ending Example - ade orangeade - ale capitale - ance chance - ence agence - ette raquette - ie magie - ique musique - oire victoire - sion / - tion version, nation - ure coiffure

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