Nouns and articles - gender - French nouns and articles - GCSE French Revision - Edexcel (for exams until 2025) - BBC Bitesize (2024)

Nouns and articles - gender

A refers to a person, a thing or a concept. Unlike in English, all French nouns have a gender. This means that each noun is or , and any accompanying it has to be masculine or feminine too. In English, these articles are ‘the’, ‘a’ (or ‘an’) and 'some'.

masculinefeminineplural
thelelales
a (or an), someununedes
a (or an), some
masculineun
feminineune
pluraldes

Masculine and feminine nouns

All female family members are feminine and all male family members are masculine. For example:

  • la tante - aunt
  • la sœur - sister
  • le grand-père - grandfather
  • le frère - brother

For job titles, the gender depends on whether it is a man or a woman doing the job. Sometimes the word for the job changes depending on the gender. For example:

MasculineFeminineEnglish
le directeurla directriceheadteacher, director
le coiffeurla coiffeusehairdresser
l’infirmierl’infirmièrenurse
Masculinele directeur
Femininela directrice
Englishheadteacher, director
Masculinele coiffeur
Femininela coiffeuse
Englishhairdresser
Masculinel’infirmier
Femininel’infirmière
Englishnurse

Units of measurement, languages and meals are masculine. For example:

  • le litre - litre
  • le français - French
  • le petit déjeuner - breakfast
Nouns and articles - gender - French nouns and articles - GCSE French Revision - Edexcel (for exams until 2025) - BBC Bitesize (2024)

FAQs

How to revise Edexcel French? ›

REVISE Pearson Edexcel GCSE (9-1) French Revision Guide Second Edition
  1. Organise your revision with the one-topic-per-page format.
  2. Check your understanding with worked examples.
  3. Develop your exam technique with exam-style practice questions and full answers.
  4. Speed up your revision with helpful hints and tips.

Is Chateau male or female? ›

masculine

What are 10 feminine words in French? ›

elle, enne, emme, esse, erre, ette… La pelle (shovel), une selle (saddle), la chaussette (the sock), la fillette (the little girl), La tristesse (sadness), la terre (earth), la femme (woman)…

What are feminine gender nouns in French? ›

Feminine Nouns: Most of the nouns that end in the suffixes -ion, -aison, -té, -tude, -ale, -ole, -ure, -ie, and -esse are feminine. Adding the endings -ée, -ette, elle, or -ille to nouns of either gender makes them feminine.

How difficult is French GCSE? ›

French revision, I would argue, can be the most difficult subject to revise for, given that you need to revise: Speaking, Listening , Reading and Writing. And therefore, your revision should be broken up into four distinct parts.

How do you get an A * French A level? ›

A-Level French A* Revision Tips
  1. Learn your grammar. People often find learning grammar boring but having a good understanding of grammar will help you achieve your A* in A-level French. ...
  2. Practice speaking French. ...
  3. Immerse yourself in the culture. ...
  4. Study French consistently. ...
  5. Use A-level French exemplars.

Can you get married in a French château? ›

Chateau Wedding Packages

If you're thinking of getting married at a French chateau, look no further than Chateau Challain. Looking for a luxury, all-inclusive destination wedding in France? Chateau Challain offers tailored wedding packages for couples of all sizes, including packages for 30, 50, 70, and 100 guests.

What is the English equivalent of château? ›

Most French châteaux are "palaces" or fine "country houses" rather than "castles", and for these, the word "château" is appropriate in English. Sometimes the word "palace" is more appropriate.

Is there an accent in château? ›

Nowadays often written without the circumflex accent (that is, not château). The plural is very much more often chateaux... ... Access to the complete content on Oxford Reference requires a subscription or purchase.

What is French female called? ›

"Madame" (Mme) for a woman. The plural is Mesdames (Mmes). "Mademoiselle" (Mlle) is a traditional alternative for an unmarried woman. The plural is Mesdemoiselles (Mlles).

How is pizza feminine in French? ›

The word for 'pizza' in French is the exact same word as it is in English: pizza. The difference is that in French, this noun is considered a feminine noun. The indefinite feminine article--une--is used to say 'a pizza': une pizza. The feminine definite article is used to say 'the pizza': la pizza.

What day is Sunday in French? ›

French days of the week
EnglishFrenchPronunciation
Thursdayjeudijeuh-dee (j here is like the g in beige)
Fridayvendredivahn-druh-dee
Saturdaysamedisam-uh-dee
Sundaydimanchedee-mansh(e)
3 more rows

What gender is food in French? ›

French grammar rules with food

This means that you use du for masculine foods, de la for feminine foods, de l' for ones that start with a vowel sound, and des for plural foods. For example: Je mange de la viande. (Notice it's NOT “je mange la viande”, as a native English speaker might assume.)

When to use l in French? ›

French has three words for the : le, la and l'. Unlike English, all nouns (words for things) in French are masculine or feminine. Use l' with words of either gender that begin with a vowel or the letter h.

What is the best way to revise French? ›

a pen and paper, note down key vocabulary and test yourself. Never just sit down and read the textbook for a set period. Focus on tasks, not time. If you just read notes you'll only retain about 10% of the information.

How do you revise for IB French? ›

How To Study For IB French
  1. Key Takeaways. ...
  2. Understand the Exam Format. ...
  3. Get Acquainted with the Exam Content. ...
  4. Set up a Study Plan. ...
  5. Improve Your French Language Skills. ...
  6. Use Flashcards. ...
  7. Practice Listening and Speaking. ...
  8. Practice Writing.

How do you revise for a French reading test? ›

try and get the gist of the text and highlight/underline important words/phrases/themes. Now find example questions from reading papers off the exam board you are using and appy these questions to the texts you have found try your hardest then get your teacher/ email them to me for correction.

How do you revise for advanced higher French? ›

Ensure you are confident with tenses – present, perfect, pluperfect, imperfect, future, conditional, future and conditional perfect. Revise the subjunctive – endings, irregulars and conditions for use. Prepare 5 phrases with a verb in the subjunctive which you could include in your essay.

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