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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.
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.
- bleu – blue
- jaune – yellow
- 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 six that do end in -e: le Belize, le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, 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.
- gramme – gram
- litre – liter
- 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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