Learn: Noun Gender and Making Nouns Plural

Welcome!Today, we'll learn about noun gender and how to make nouns plural in French. These are essential grammar rules that will help you speak and write correctly. Let's get started!

What is noun gender?In French, every noun has a gender: masculine or feminine. This is important because it affects the words that go with the noun, like adjectives and articles. For example, 'le livre' (the book) is masculine, while 'la table' (the table) is feminine.

How do you recognise masculine and feminine nouns?There are some patterns to help you. For example, nouns ending in -e are often feminine, while those ending in other letters are often masculine. However, there are exceptions, so it's important to memorise the gender of each noun as you learn it.

Making nouns pluralTo make a noun plural in French, you usually add an '-s' at the end of the word. For example, 'le livre' (the book) becomes 'les livres' (the books). Note that the article changes as well: 'le' becomes 'les' for masculine nouns, and 'la' becomes 'les' for feminine nouns.

Exceptions to plural rulesSome nouns have irregular plural forms. For example, 'le journal' becomes 'les journaux', where '-al' changes to '-aux'. Another example is 'le cheveu' (hair) becoming 'les cheveux'. You need to learn these exceptions as you encounter them.

Articles with plural nounsWhen nouns are plural, the definite article always becomes 'les', regardless of the noun's gender. For example, 'la pomme' (the apple) becomes 'les pommes' (the apples), and 'le chien' (the dog) becomes 'les chiens' (the dogs).

Review Time!Great work! You've learned about noun gender and how to make nouns plural. Now let's test your understanding with a few questions.