How do you know if a noun is feminine and needs la' before it or if a noun is masculine and needs 'le'?

This is one of those questions that doesn't have a straightforward answer and it is only through experience of the language that one learns the gender of each noun. However, there are some noun endings that make it clear which gender the noun is. For example, if a noun ends in 'tion' such as 'education', it is almost always feminine (la education). Another example is if a noun ends in 'ment' such as 'appartement', it is almost always masculine.Although there is no clear rule that makes the gender clear, there are some endings of nouns that may make their gender clear.

NG
Answered by Natasha G. French tutor

1768 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

Translation from English to French


How do I know when to use avoir or être as the auxiliary verb in the perfect tense?


Match up the following phrases that talk about weather


I find grammar in French boring. What can I do to make revising grammar more interesting?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning