Free French Noun Gender List

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Grasping the genders of different nouns is one of the more difficult concepts for beginning French students to master. Not only does the English language not have any concept of gender in words, but there are also many frequently used nouns in the French language that do not follow the typical patterns. Consequently, they simply must be memorized.

Agreement in French

All nouns in the French language are either male or female. While some nouns have a gender that makes sense (for example the girl, la fille, is feminine as you might expect), most nouns in the French language simply are one way or the other. In other words, there is nothing inherent about the word that makes it more masculine or more feminine.

However, it is important to master the rules as well as the exceptions because agreement of gender in a sentence is fundamental to structuring the sentence correctly. In French, all adjectives agree with the nouns they are describing as do definite and indefinite articles.

Tip: Memorize the noun along with its article. This is much easier to do instead of memorizing the word and then trying to remember which gender it is. Most French lesson books present vocabulary in this way.

French Gender rules printable thumb
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French Gender Rules to Keep in Mind

There are no hard and fast rules. Almost all rules have some exceptions. With that said, remembering the general rule will greatly improve your fluency and the exceptions can be learned later.

In addition, there are some nouns that have both masculine and feminine forms that coincide with whether or not that being referred to is female or male. Many professions have masculine and feminine forms, as do the words 'dog' and 'cat'. Also remember that in groups where there is at least one male present, you would use the masculine plural form. Likewise, when a word has both female and male forms, you always use the male form unless referring to a specific female.

If you need help downloading the printable French noun gender list above, check out these helpful tips.

Masculine Endings Feminine Endings
Common Endings and Their Genders
-age -ace
-b -ade
-c -ale
-cle -ance
-d -be
-de -ce
-cé
-eau -e
-ège -ee
-et -ée
-eur (professions) -esse
-f -eur (abstract qualities/feelings)
-i -fe
-ing -ie
-isme -ière
-k -ine
-l -ion
-m -ique
-me -ire
-ment -ise
-n -ite
-o -lle
-oir -mme
-one -nde
-ou -nne
-p -ole
-r -rre
-s -se
-ste -sé
-t -sion
-tre -son
-u -té
-x -tié
-tion
-ude
-ue
-ule
-ure

Nouns Lists With Gender and Translation

If you are learning French, memorizing the gender of the nouns you are learning is a must. Below are some of the most popular nouns in the French language.

Notice that the indefinite article is included to indicate gender (le is for masculine nouns and la is for feminine nouns). Note that for nouns that begin with vowels, or nouns that are plural, the gender is noted in parentheses after the word. (Example: l'eau, f.)

School Vocabulary
Noun Pronunciation Translation
l'affiche (f.) lah feesh poster
le bureau luh byuh roh desk

le cahier

luh ki yay notebook
la carte lah kart map
la chaise lah shez chair
le crayon luh crah yohn crayon
les devoirs (m.) lay duh vwahr homework
l'école (f.) lay kohl school
la gomme lah gohm eraser (for a pencil)
le livre luh lee vruh book
l'ordinateur (m.) lohr deen ah turh computer

la règle

lah reh gluh ruler
le stylo luh stee loh pen
Calendar Vocabulary
l'an (m.) lah nay year
l'après-midi (m.) lah pray mee dee afternoon
l'automne (m.) lah tome autumn
l'été (m.) lay tay summer
l'hiver (m.) lee vair winter
le jour luh zhoor day
le matin luh mah tehn morning
le mois luh mwah month
le printemps (m.) luh prehn tehm spring
la semaine lah seh men week
le week-end luh week end weekend
House Vocabulary
la chambre lah shohm bruh bedroom
la cuisine lah kwee zeen kitchen
les escaliers (m.) lez es kah lee yay stairs
la fenêtre lah fuh net ruh window

le four

luh foor oven
l'horloge (f.) lohr lozh clock
le lit luh lee bed
la maison lah meh zhon house
le mur luh muhr wall
la poubelle lah poo bell trash
la porte lah port door
le réfrigérateur luh ray free zhay rah tur refrigerator

la salle de bain

lah sahl duh behn bathroom
Getting Ready for the Day
la brosse à cheveux lah brohs ah shuh vuh hairbrush

la brosse à dents

lah brohs ah dehn toothbrush
les chausettes (f.) lay show set socks

la chemise

lah shuh meez shirt
la cravate lah crah vaht tie
les gants (m.) lay gahn gloves

la jupe

la zhoop skirt
les lunettes (f.) lay loo net glasses

le manteau

luh mahn toe coat

la montre

lah mohn truh watch
le parapluie luh pah rah ploo wee umbrella
la peigne lah pehn yuh comb
la robe lah rohb dress
le sac luh sahk purse
le savon luh sah vohn soap
Out and About
l'aéroport m. lair oh pore airport
l'ascenseur (m.) lah sehn sur elevator
l'avion (m.) lah vee ohn plane
le bateau luh bah toe boat
l'étage (m.) lay tazh floor of a building
la gare la gair train station
la mer lah mair sea

la plage

la plahzh beach
le portefeuille luh port uh foyuh wallet

le prix

luh pree price

la rue

lah roo street

le taxi

luh tah ksee taxi

la valise

lah vah leez suitcase
Food and Eating

l'addition (f.)

lah dee see ohn bill
le beurre luh burr butter
le déjeuner luh day zhuhn ay lunch

le dîner

luh dee nay dinner
le fromage luh froh mahzh cheese

le gâteau

luh gah toe cake
le légume luh lay goom vegetable

le pain

luh pehn bread

le petit déjeuner

luh puh tee day zhuhn ay breakfast
le poisson luh pwah ssohn fish
le poivre luh pwah vruh pepper (seasoning)
la pomme lah pumm apple
le poulet luh poo lay chicken
le sel luh sell salt
la viande lah vee ahnd meat
The Body

la bouche

la boosh mouth
le bras luh brah arms
les cheveux (m.) lay shuh vuh hair
le cœur luh curr heart
la jambe lah zhahmb leg
l'oreille (f.) l'ohr ayuh ear
le pied luh pee yay foot
la tête la tet head
le visage luh vee sajh face
les yeux (m.) layz yuh eyes
Places to Go
le château luh shah toe castle
le concert luh con sair concert
le jardin luh zhar dehn garden
la ferme lah fairm farm
l'hôpital (f.) loe pee tahl hospital
l'hôtel (m.) loe tell hotel
le magasin luh mah gah zehn store
le musée lah moo say museum
la rue lah roo street
le théâtre luh tay ah truh theatre

Memorizing Made Easier

Remember, learning what gender a noun is will be easier if you learn the noun along with its definite or indefinite article. In addition, memorizing the common rules, as well as the exceptions, will make your job easier in the long run. While it might seem daunting at first, take a little bit at a time and before you know it, you'll be a pro.

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Free French Noun Gender List