A group charged with preserving the French language says Covid-19 is feminine, despite its increasingly common usage with the masculine article. The following countries are masculine even though they end in -e: For cities, gender is no big deal since there are still some controversies among scholars. The preposition en is a little bit weird: it used to be the general word in French for "in". Hello Messan and thank you for your comment. ... My wife has been studying French (part time) for a few years and she thinks it's bad grammar to put "mais" before "en fait". I’m glad you ask. since it is an island (une île), we use the feminine to talk about this country. French Translation of “Mexico” | The official Collins English-French Dictionary online. Well, both are correct! I am not sure at all why the Wiktionary says it is masculine. This is a thorny issue that gives French language learners a lot of trouble. When learning French, you usually learn the name of a number of countries fairly early and then build up on your first list of countries as time goes on. As I said, Madagascar is not used with an article. These are named after the common noun –état (state), pays (country), île (island, isle)– and the countries in question are a set of various states, lands or islands, hence the use of the plural. There is no reason, no order. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Similarly, is student masculine or feminine in French? Thank you for your comment Erwan. Often the masculine or feminine form doesn’t affect the meaning in a conversation and as a French person I must admit that it’s actually quite nice to hear some mistakes. For regular nouns, the usual pattern is by adding an “e” at the end of the, For regular nouns, adding an “s” to the noun (masculine or feminine), Dictée au passé – Mon week-end à la montagne, Comprendre ce que je lis | A2 Easy French Listening. Tu m’aimes - you love me. Don't subscribe Another way to learn feminine or masculine in French and memorize (or at least write down) the nouns with the article (un / une). For example, the sentence 'An apple is a fruit' is Une pomme est un.... See full answer below. I have a wonderful announcement to make, my podcast is now available on Spotify, so feel free to check it out! An adjective modifies a noun or a pronoun. Bonjour tout le monde ! We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Two genders: masculine and feminine. Il est généralement placé après le nom et s'accorde avec le nom (ex : un ballon bleu, une balle bleue).En général, seule la forme au masculin singulier est donnée. Iran was for a long time Persia. When you learn French, you will notice that most nouns are paired with articles. Given this history, it isn't surprising that proto-French started out with these three genders. For regular nouns, the usual pattern is by adding an “e” at the end of the masculine noun to make it feminine. very nice this helped me a lot in my exams thank you soo much! Now that you know if the name of a country is masculine or feminine, make sure you know what preposition to use in front of it. You can also subscribe without commenting. Her pieces combine the masculine and feminine in sometimes provocative, always original creations. 3) When referring to a feminine country use en J’aime les gens en France. 3) When referring to a feminine country use en J’aime les gens en France. As a general rule, countries that end in -e are feminine: Of course, since we are talking about the French language, there are a few exceptions. And yes, in French, all names designating an object, an animal, a thing, a feeling, etc., are either feminine or masculine. Adjectives don’t have a gender on their own, but according to the subject. (relating to men) masculin adj adjectif: modifie un nom. Until then, au revoir et à bientôt! How to choose between quoique and quoi que. always feminine, regardless of that person’s gender ! Start studying French Sports: Masculine and Feminine. However, there is another way to find out if a noun is feminine or masculine in French. Required fields are marked *. However, they do not…. Now, let’s take a look at the example earlier. - I love you. While constructing your vocabulary list, instead of formulating it this way : chat – catchien – dogmaison – housechaise – chair, un chat – (a) catun chien – (a) dogune maison – (a) houseune chaise – (a) chair. Today, let me talk to you a little bit more about nouns, and most of all, how to know if nouns are feminine or masculine in French. Besides, it follows the rule I explained in this blog post, i.e. By learning the gender along with the, nouns, you will save a significant amount of time and it will make French, Because “homme” starts with a “plugged H”. To me, it sounds masculine, and the Wiktionary agrees with me. This small ebook will help you through survival French, basics of the basics! But now, you are wondering, how can you know, which countries are feminine and which are masculine, la France, l’Angleterre, la Chine, l’Argentine, l’Algérie, la Colombie, la Mauritanie, l’Inde, le Nigéria, le Brésil, le Canada, le Japon, le Danemark, le Maroc, le Liban, le Pakistan, le Pérou, Of course, since we are talking about the French language, there are a few. feminine. I’m not sure Madagascar is feminine. However, if we need to use an adjective to describe Madagascar, because French adjectives must agree with the noun, we need to put the feminine form of the adjective. As a general rule, nouns that are ending in a vowel + “L” , “T”, “N” become feminine by doubling the consonnant and adding an “E”. Discussion. Besides, it follows the rule I explained in this blog post, i.e. Whereas for seasons, it’s 50/50. hubs.ly/H0y8nck0. Remember these 6 countries: Some regions or countries take their name after a common noun. The articles agree with the nouns they refer too, so they also have a gender. This is to indicate … Nouns in French: Animal words snake, fish, bird, and insect are nouns.Nouns in French are grammatically considered either masculine or feminine, and the gender is not necessarily related to the gender of the animal.For example, the word for fish, whether it is male or female, is poisson, a masculine noun. That is already one obvious first detail that will make you say if a noun is feminine or masculine in French, therefore, use the proper article. But you will probably have trouble knowing if the country ends with -e, so the problem is not completely solved. I hope that you enjoyed learning how to recognize if a noun is feminine or masculine in French. - I love him (or her). Complete french vocabulary list of the masculine and feminine countries in french with gender. In this sentence située is in the feminine form. Answer and Explanation: The word for student in French is étudiant when referring to a male student, and étudiante when referring to a female. As French makes a distinction between "masculine and feminine objects", people use le for masculine things/persons and la for feminine things/persons. Will it be le Cote d’Ivoire or la Cote d’Ivoire? 4) When referring to a masculine country which starts with a vowel, use en Il est en Iran. * Note that ” L’homme” has ” L’ ” as an article. In that case, you will have to use the article that matches the gender of the noun: Careful though, here is the tricky part: the common noun is sometimes implied and not part of the name itself: For example, Madagascar is not used with an article but is feminine even if it does not end in -e, but that’s because it is an island –une île– and what is really meant even if not uttered is l’île de Madagascar. A cyclosportive, or often simply sportive, is a short to long distance, organised, mass-participation cycling event, typically held annually.The Italian term Gran Fondo is commonly used for these events in the United States, Australia and some other English-speaking countries. We just say Paris, New York, Mexico (Mexico City), Beijing, Tokyo, Sydney, etc. However, in the plural, only les is used whatever the gender is. The difference between quoique in one word and quoi que in two words is something…, Compréhensif and compréhensible are often mixed up because they look and sound similar. Sometimes, the ending will give you a clear indication of the noun’s gender. For regular nouns, adding an “s” to the noun (masculine or feminine) builds the plural form. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. If you are reading this blog post, you have probably already learnt the names of a few countries. Technically, officially, there is an institution in France, who is in charge of deciding anything related to the French language: L’Académie Française. Gender matters in French. Is Haiti feminine or masculine? is mexique masculine or feminine in french. Your email address will not be published. Confusing? If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Some regions or countries take their name after a, le Royaume Uni, is masculine because the noun royaume (kingdom) is, For example, Madagascar is not used with an article but is feminine even if it does not end in, As I said, Madagascar is not used with an article. In French all nouns have a gender, either masculine or feminine. Subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos about French learning. Most French nouns become feminine according to regular patterns. We say "but in fact" in English all the time. We eat tacos in Mexico :) In French, all nouns have a gender: masculine of feminine. 'La pine' is the most commonly used word, but all the alternatives that I can think of ('la verge', 'la bite', 'la queue', 'la balayette') are also feminine. le Belize, le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique, le Suriname, le Zimbabwe. So we just say “Madagascar”. The same goes for Argentina. French is Latin mispronounced by proto-Germans. For example in a description you will see ”Madagascar est située au large du continent africain”. In French, all nouns have a gender: masculine of feminine. Create an account and sign in to access this FREE content. But as a French teacher I should give you some patterns in word endings that tend to indicate masculine nouns, while other endings favor feminine nouns. Nouns ending in -er, require an accent (l’accent grave) before adding the “E” : Replace the -f or the -p with a -v before adding the “e”. I hope this helps . - Places ending in other letters (including other vowels: a, o, etc) are masculine. Learn how your comment data is processed. It’s better to start off this way by knowing this particularly important information: In French, the gender is part of the noun, so you will be better off learning it the right way. Ses pièces mêlent masculin et féminin dans des créations parfois provocantes, toujours originales. All Who decides when words are feminine and masculine in French? This includes all the continents ( Europe, Afrique, Amérique, Asie, Océanie, Antarctique ). Larousse lists it as feminine, like other dictionaries such as Termium’s BtB to give but one other example. But now, you are wondering, how can you know which countries are feminine and which are masculine? I am not sure at all why the Wiktionary says it is masculine. This is to indicate a noun is masculine/feminine and singular/plural. By adding an article before the noun when you memorize it, the noun’s gender will be printed in your mind. Good question! EXCEPTIONS: le Mexique (Mexico), le Cambodge (Cambodia), le Zimbabwe or Zimbabwé, le Mozambique and le Belize or Bélize. I hope this is of help Thanks again for your contribution. The word for literature in French is a feminine noun. Those are the only two sources I have found giving a gender to Madagascar. Another note: in French, me, te, le, la are contracted if the word that follows begins with a vowel:. Here are 6 exceptions: these are masculine country names that end with the letter -e and in front of which we use the article le VAGINA in Latin is feminine and so is in Spanish and Catalan ('la vagina') and in Portuguese ('a vagina'). Here are some examples of other, Bahreïn, Chypre, Cuba, Haïti, Israël, Malte, Monaco, Sainte-Lucie, Saint-Marin, Singapour, Sri Lanka, These are named after the common noun –état (state), pays (country), île (island, isle)– and the. Replies to my comments Start studying French words - masculine or feminine. He’s in Iran. is mexique masculine or feminine in french. This means that some French nouns indicating people, family members… are. However, there are a few exceptions. French spelling: le plus, le moins de choses possible or possibles? Je l’aime. le, la and les are the french equivalents for the. True, there is 'le pénis', but that's the technical term. Over 100,000 English translations of French words and phrases. Feminine country names : La France. Gender with regards to words is not something we spend a lot of time thinking about in English, but in French vocabulary every single noun will have either a masculine gender or a feminine gender. Your email address will not be published. French seems to be the only exception in the Romance languages. In fact, it would be safe to say everything has a gender in French. French has three times as many definite articles as English, since French articles indicate whether something is considered masculine or feminine. Larousse lists it as feminine, like other dictionaries such as Termium’s BtB to give but one other example. In French it is spelled littérature. Likewise, is bird masculine or feminine in French? The tricky part is when you realize that the noun “personne” – a person – is always feminine, regardless of that person’s gender ! Increase your French vocabulary fast and efficiently with this useful words list! Is Littérature masculine or feminine? Rouge like any colour is an adjective. The article in front of each noun changes. Click to see full answer. Hello Kiran, in French it is la Côte d’Ivoire, because the noun “côte” is feminine. Except for animals and humans, most of the time, gender is arbitrary. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The same pattern applies to the plural form of these nouns. Although I would not recommend to use this method every time, it’s still good to know about it. eXionnaire disagrees with me (though I have never heard of this website before and don’t know how trustworthy it is). Both Latin and German have three grammatical genders: masculine, feminine and neutral.Both languages are part of the Indo-European family and derive their gender system from the same root. My son insists there is no problem. Words that use the articles le or un are going to be masculine, and words that use the articles la or une are feminine. Now, when it comes to people, it can be quite easy to guess if the noun is feminine or masculine in French : La femme, la mère, la sœur are all feminine nouns, whereas l’homme, le père, le frère, are masculine. That way, you will “picture” the article in your mind and remember which article comes before it. For example, we also say La Côte d’Azur, la côte méditerranéenne etc. It sounds quite natural to me too. Principales traductions: Anglais: Français: masculine adj adjective: Describes a noun or pronoun--for example, "a tall girl," "an interesting book," "a big house." Gender is not to be neglected in French grammar, as adjectives, pronouns and verbs can be affected by it. Note: if you want to use a plural encompassing both masculine and feminine things, use “ils”. And there is 'le zizi', but that's a children's word, roughly the equivalent of 'willy'. In fact, in French, all words in a sentence must agree with each other: If, for example, the noun or pronoun is singular, its verb and any adjectives describing it must also be singular. since it is an island (une île), … Some would argue it’s masculine, but others would say it’s feminine because it refers to une ville (a city), which is a feminine noun. If you liked this lesson, feel free to share it, comment below or simply join the Learn To French community on Facebook. Why? La Belgique La Bulgarie La France La Grèce La Slovaquie La Suisse La Syrie La Thailande La Tunisie. Look at the table below for some of the most common noun endings in French. Well, one thing is clear. to know more about them later in another lesson. 5) When referring to a masculine country which starts with a consonant, use au On mange des tacos au Mexique. The words to talk about COVID-19 pandemic, Showing interest in a conversation: short questions. If you remember this, kudos to you! Il existe deux genres : masculin et féminin. Having explained that, cities don’t have articles for the most part. Je t’aime. Go to The Language Nook, the blog in and about English and French, When learning French, you usually learn the name of a number of, If you are reading this blog post, you have probably already learnt the names of a few countries. FYW 032 : How to Tell if a French Noun is Masculine or Feminine (Part 1) FYW 033 : How to Tell if a French Noun is Masculine or Feminine (Part 2) I’ve designed a free printable worksheet to test your knowledge about the French masculine vs feminine nouns! Words are either feminine and masculine in French, that’s all. That way, you will be able to see if the noun is feminine (n.f) or masculine (n.m). When the name of a country ends with the letter -e, it is feminine and we put the article in front of this name. However, when we talk about Madagascar in French, we don’t use an article in front of its name. The gender of some nouns makes sense (homme [man] is masculine, femme [woman] is feminine) but others don't: the words personne [person] and victime [victim] are always feminine, even … By learning the gender along with the nouns, you will save a significant amount of time and it will make French grammar much easier for you. affected by that person’s gender. The inherent quality of a noun does not make something masculine or feminine. Leave your name and email address, you’ll have it straight in your inbox! You’ll get. What’s the difference between éminent and imminent? There you are! In French, all nouns have a gender—they are either masculine or feminine. Feminine and Masculine in French « Previous; Beginners; Next » Masculine and Feminine . Congratulations! Irregular nouns are based on the final letter of their masculine singular form. , The French words –adjectives to be more specific– éminent and imminent look and sound similar, yet they have completely different meanings. Let’s make sure there is no confusion, French spelling can be tricky, and not only for people learning the language. I love people in France. English Translation of “Mexique” | The official Collins French-English Dictionary online. For example, masculine nouns tend to end in : a place – or something abstract, something invisible like air or an idea. Here are some examples of other countries whose name is used without an article: Les États-Unis d’Amérique, les Seychelles, les Philippines, les îles Féroé, les Pays-Bas…. Now, when it comes to people, it can be quite easy to guess if the noun is feminine or masculine in French : La femme, la mère, la sœur are all feminine nouns, whereas l’homme, le père, le frère, are masculine. The word fruit in French is a masculine noun, and uses masculine articles with it. I took one semester of French in college. It’s better to start off this way by knowing this particularly important, and verbs can be affected by it. You now know what gender are countries of the world in French. by Yolaine Bodin | 9 Jun 2018 | French Language. All French adjectives agree in number (singular or plural) and gender (masculine or feminine) with the nouns they describe. This is because it is an island, une île, so we keep the same gender to talk about it as the gender used for île, i.e. In the language class, you will learn that the countries ending with -e are feminine (except le Mozambique, le Zimbabwe, le Mexique) and the others are masculine. A noun is a word that represents something concrete – a person, an object, a place – or something abstract, something invisible like air or an idea. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. In the meantime, I invite you to keep a dictionary beside you at all times.