French Grammar in Context

72 French Grammar in Context

Nouns in the text

1 GENDER

a Sex and gender

Nouns referring to male/female have the same gender as the referent, e.g. le (vieil) homme(line

12), la femme, le garçon, la fille, etc.

Gender sometimes varies depending on referent, e.g. la secrétaire(line 22) would bele secrétaire

if it were a man.Les retraités(lines 55–6) will includeretraités(male) andretraitées(female).

Otherwise gender is mostly arbitrary in French and has to be learnt. Some rules can help to

classify masculine and feminine nouns according to their endings.

b Words which are normally masculine

These include words ending in:

• -eau, e.g. couteau(line 3), niveau(line 55)


• -ment, e.g. arrondissement(line 34), vieillissement(line 51)


• -age, e.g. l’entourage(line 37)


• -ème, e.g. les systèmes(line 44). Also le problème.


• -ou, e.g. les bijoux, singular bijou(line 19)


• a consonant, e.g. le vol(line 27), le cas(line 4), le rapport(line 22), l’État(line 23), objet
  (line 23), un quart(line 28), le droit(line 40), le délit(line 49), le crédit(line 60)

c Words which are normally feminine

These include words ending in:

• -tion, e.g. explication(line 38), protection(line 45), population(line 52)


• -sion, e.g. extorsion(line 28), conclusion(line 25)


• -aison, e.g. raison(lines 51, 55)


• -té, e.g. cupidité(line 29), solidarités(line 39)


• -ance, e.g. maltraitances(line 29), importance(line 48)


• -ence, e.g. présence(line 18), violence(lines 24, 31), recrudescence(line 50)


• -ale, e.g. morale(line 41)

d Words ending in -e

• A good many words ending in -eare feminine,e.g. garde(line 9), bande(line 9), victime
  (line 25), cascade(line 30), morale(41), justice(lines 42, 45), défense(line 44), faillite
  (line 45), faiblesse(line 46), importance(line 48).


• However, an -eending is often found on masculinewords, e.g. mobile(line 26), chiffre
  (line 27), notaire(line 33), entourage(line 37) contrôle(line 41), type(line 49).
  Note also le manque.
  e Some nouns have a defined gender whether the referent is male or female, e.g. personnes âgées
  (line 15). Une personne âgéewill remain feminine even though it may refer to a man. The same
  applies to victimes(line 25), which can refer to men or women. Also une connaissance, which
  can be male or female.