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Noms masculins
There’s no simple trick to knowing the gender of every single French noun (other than looking in a dictionary), but there are several categories of words that are always or usually masculine.
Boats
Bateau and most boats types are masculine:
- un canoë – canoe
- un navire – ship
- un voilier – sailboat
Exceptions: une barque, une goélette, une péniche, une vedette
Calendar
Le calendrier is masculine, as are all days of the week, months of the year, and seasons:
- lundi – Monday
- janvier – January
- printemps – spring
Une date is feminine, but the dates themselves are always masculine.
- le 8 mai
- le 15 octobre
- le premier janvier
Colors
La couleur is feminine, but all colors are masculine when used as stand-alone nouns.
- le bleu – blue
- le jaune – yellow
- le rouge – red
However, when the color is replacing a noun, it has to agree: Tu préfères la chemise verte ou bleue ? La verte.
Drinks
La boisson is feminine, but most drinks are masculine.
- le café – coffee
- le jus – juice
- le thé – tea
Exceptions: la citronnade (lemonade), la limonade (lemon soda)
English Imports
Most English words used in French are masculine.
- le challenge
- le parking
- le week-end
Food
Any food that doesn’t end in -e is masculine.
- le haricot – bean
- le maïs – corn
- le thon – tuna
- There are also a few masculine foods that do end in -e: le beurre, le blé, le concombre, le fromage, le pamplemousse, le poivre
Most names of cheeses are masculine:
- le brie
- le comté
- le roquefort
Notable exceptions: la feta, la fourme, la mimolette, la mozzarella, la ricotta, la tomme
Gems, Metals, Minerals, Rocks, and Stones
Le métal and le minéral are masculine, as are all metals:
- acier – steel
- or – gold
- plomb – lead
and most minerals:
- le gypse – gypsum
- le mica – mica
- le sel – salt
Exceptions: l’argile (clay), la fluorite (fluorite), les pyrites (pyrite), la silice (silica)
La gemme, la pierre, and la roche are feminine, but most gems, stones, and rocks are masculine:
- diamant – diamond
- marbre – marble
- charbon – coal
Exceptions: une émeraude (emerald), une perle (pearl)
Geography
All countries that don’t end in -e are masculine.
- l’Iran
- le Mali
- les États-Unis
- As are seven that do end in -e: le Belize, le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Suriname, le Zaïre, le Zimbabwe
All rivers that don’t end in -e are masculine:
- le Lot
- le Rhin
- le Tarn
- As is le Rhône.
All compass directions are masculine:
- nord – north
- ouest – west
- sud-est – southeast
Infinitives
All infinitives are masculine when used as nouns.
- le devoir – duty
- le pouvoir – power
- le sourire – smile
Languages
Though the word langue is feminine, all languages are masculine:
- le français – French
- le japonais – Japanese
- le russe – Russian
Letters
Une lettre is feminine, but letters of the alphabet are masculine, such as when talking about the grades on a report card:
- le "a" (not l’a)
- le "b"
- le "c"
Numbers
Le chiffre, le nombre, and le numéro are all masculine, as are most numbers.
- Cardinal numbers (un, deux, trois…)
- Fractions (un tiers, un quart, un dixième…)
Exceptions: une moitié and approximate numbers like une dizaine
Trees
L’arbre is masculine, as are nearly all trees:
- un chêne – oak tree
- un oranger – orange tree
- un palmier – palm tree
Exception: une aubépine (hawthorn tree)
Weights and Measures
La mesure is feminine, but le poids and nearly all weights and measures are masculine.
- un gramme – gram
- un litre – liter
- un mètre – meter
Exceptions: une livre (pound), une moitié (half), une tonne (ton), and all approximate measures with –ée (e.g., une cuillerée).
Wine
Le vin is masculine, as are all wines
- le champagne
- le chardonnay
- le pinot noir
| Quiz: Gender |
Related lessons
- Masculine noun endings
- Feminine noun categories
- Gender of compound nouns
- Introduction to nouns
- Articles
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