French Noun Gender and Plurals: Endings That Tell You Le or La
Getting Started
Every French noun is either masculine (le) or feminine (la): a table, a car, a job, freedom. Gender does not only change the article; adjectives, pronouns and sometimes past participles agree with it too. So in TEF/TCF writing a single gender error often turns into two or three errors in the same sentence.
For Punjabi speakers the idea is familiar: “ਗੱਡੀ ਚੱਲਦੀ ਹੈ” but “ਟਰੱਕ ਚੱਲਦਾ ਹੈ”. But the genders often don’t match, so don’t guess from Punjabi.
This lesson covers two things: guessing gender from a noun’s ending, and the rules for making nouns plural.
1. Endings that predict gender
No rule covers every noun, but endings get you a long way, including on words you have never seen. Learn the exceptions together with the rule.
Usually feminine (la)
| Ending | Examples | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| -tion, -sion | la situation, la décision, l’information | almost no exceptions |
| -té | la santé, la liberté, la société | l’été, le côté are masculine |
| -ette, -elle | la baguette, la poubelle | — |
| -ance, -ence | la chance, la différence | le silence is masculine |
| -ée | la journée, l’idée, l’entrée | le musée, le lycée are masculine |
| -ure | la voiture, la facture | — |
| -ise | la valise, l’entreprise | — |
| -eur (feelings, qualities) | la douleur, la couleur, la peur | le bonheur, le malheur are masculine |
Usually masculine (le)
| Ending | Examples | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| -ment | le moment, le logement, l’appartement | — |
| -age | le fromage, le voyage, le garage | la page, la plage, la cage, l’image are feminine |
| -eau | le bureau, le gâteau, le manteau | l’eau, la peau are feminine |
| -eur (a person or machine) | le directeur, l’ordinateur | — |
| -isme | le tourisme, le racisme | — |
| -in, -on, -ent (mostly) | le jardin, le camion, l’argent | la main, la maison, la dent are feminine |
How to use these: when you meet a new noun without its article, guess from the ending. But as soon as you see it with an article (une facture, un logement), learn it with that article. The full list of 151 common nouns, with practice, is in the le ou la drill.
2. People: masculine and feminine forms
For people and animals, grammatical gender usually follows the person, and the ending often changes:
| Masculine | Feminine | Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| un étudiant | une étudiante | + e |
| un voisin | une voisine | + e |
| un infirmier | une infirmière | -ier → -ière |
| un vendeur | une vendeuse | -eur → -euse |
| un directeur | une directrice | -teur → -trice |
| un Canadien | une Canadienne | -ien → -ienne |
| un/une collègue | un/une collègue | same word, only the article changes |
Epicene nouns: collègue, locataire (tenant), propriétaire (owner), secrétaire and journaliste are the same for both genders; only the article tells you which.
3. Change the gender, change the meaning
A few words exist in both genders with different meanings:
| Masculine | Meaning | Feminine | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| le livre | book | la livre | pound (weight or money) |
| le tour | turn, tour | la tour | tower |
| le poste | job, position | la poste | post office |
4. Making nouns plural
The main rule: + s
Most nouns add -s, and the article becomes les (or des):
- le livre → les livres
- la voiture → les voitures
- l’enfant → les enfants
Pronunciation: this s is silent. Livre and livres sound identical. You hear the plural in the article: le /lə/ vs les /le/. Before a vowel, liaison adds a z sound: les enfants /lezɑ̃fɑ̃/.
Other rules
| Singular ending | Plural | Example | Exception |
|---|---|---|---|
| -s, -x, -z | no change | le bus → les bus, le prix → les prix, le nez → les nez | — |
| -eau, -eu | + x | le bureau → les bureaux, le jeu → les jeux | le pneu → les pneus |
| -al | → -aux | le journal → les journaux, l’hôpital → les hôpitaux | le festival → les festivals |
| -ail | + s (mostly) | le détail → les détails | le travail → les travaux |
| -ou | + s (mostly) | le trou → les trous | seven take + x: bijou, caillou, chou, genou, hibou, joujou, pou |
Completely irregular
- l’œil → les yeux (eye → eyes)
- monsieur → messieurs, madame → mesdames, mademoiselle → mesdemoiselles
Note: les travaux often means “roadworks” or “renovations”: Il y a des travaux dans la rue (There’s construction on the street). You’ll hear it every Canadian summer.
Common Mistakes
| ❌ Wrong | ✅ Right | Why |
|---|---|---|
| le situation | la situation | -tion is feminine |
| la fromage | le fromage | -age is masculine |
| le plage | la plage | an -age exception |
| les journals | les journaux | -al → -aux |
| les prixs | les prix | nouns in -x don’t change |
| les œils | les yeux | irregular plural |
Practice
A. le or la? 1. ___ décision · 2. ___ garage · 3. ___ santé · 4. ___ gâteau · 5. ___ image · 6. ___ logement · 7. ___ facture · 8. ___ musée
B. Make it plural: 1. un hôpital · 2. un gâteau · 3. un fils · 4. un animal · 5. un genou · 6. un œil
Answers
A. 1. la (-sion) · 2. le (-age) · 3. la (-té) · 4. le (-eau) · 5. l’ / une image (an -age exception, feminine) · 6. le (-ment) · 7. la (-ure) · 8. le (an -ée exception)
B. 1. des hôpitaux · 2. des gâteaux · 3. des fils (ends in -s, no change) · 4. des animaux · 5. des genoux · 6. des yeux
What’s Next
FAQ
Do I have to memorise the gender of every French noun?
Yes, but endings help a lot. Nouns in -tion, -té and -ette are mostly feminine; nouns in -ment, -age and -eau are mostly masculine. The best habit is to learn every new noun with its article: la voiture, le bus.
Does Punjabi gender help with French gender?
The idea helps; the genders do not. Punjabi also genders things, but often differently: 'ਬੱਸ' is feminine in Punjabi while le bus is masculine in French. Don't guess from Punjabi.
Is the plural s pronounced?
No. Livre and livres sound the same. The plural is heard in the article: le /lə/ vs les /le/.
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