Is there an easy way of telling whether a noun is masculine or feminine?

The official answer for this question is that you have to learn the gender of each new noun individually. However, quite often it is possible to guess the gender of nouns from their endings. For example, all nouns ending in -tion or -sion are feminine. All nouns ending in -isme are masculine, and all nouns ending in -eau (except for l'eau, which is feminine). Also many common nouns ending in -é are masculine. Guides like this can make it easier to work out or remember the gender of some nouns, but in the end you have to learn most noun genders individually.

MM
Answered by Molly M. French tutor

2817 Views

See similar French GCSE tutors

Related French GCSE answers

All answers ▸

How do I form the passé composé?


What is the difference between the imperfect and the perfect tense? When are they supposed to be used?


Which verbs take être in compound tenses?


What is the 'immediate future' tense and how do I formulate it?


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