Nouns: Gender Exceptions:

Question 1

Feminine noun endings without e at the end (with 90% accuracy)
- Only 1 ending type in total
- Also Almost all noun endings ending in e

Answer 1

-ion

Question 2

Masculine noun endings with e at the end. (with 90% accuracy)
Only 7 ending types in total

Answer 2

-age, -ege, – ème, -ome, -aume, -isme
-é after C (C=t)
- Examples:
le Paysage, le manège(carrousel, ride), le deuxième, un homme, le royaume, le capitalisme

Question 3

Some categories of French words that are typically masculine:

Answer 3

• wines
• cheeses (although there are some exceptions, usually involving the description of the form of the cheese, for example, la tomme, une brique)
• Names of colours ( le bleu, le vert, le rouge)
• metric units (Example: un litre, un mètre, un gramme)
• numbers (note that the numeric concept that ends in -aine (=about this much, this decade of a person’s life, is feminine (la quarantaine, une cinquaiantaine de personnes))
• metals, materials ( l’or (= gold), le fer (= iron), l’acier (= steel))
• Names of languages (le Français)
• names of trees (Examples: un pommier, un cerisier, un chêne (= oak tree))
• names of days of the week, seasons and months

Names of countries not ending in « _e” ( le Japon etc)

• Numbers and quantities
  – Examples : le 14 février, un million, un huitième (= one eighth), un tiers (= a third), un quart
  – Exception #1: la moitié (= half) (see why in Part 2)
  – Exception #2 : numbers ending in « _aine » : une douzaine, la trentaine, la centaine
• Nouns made from adverbs, pronouns, verbs, etc
  – Examples: le souper, le mal (= evil), le pourquoi, le comment
• Nouns borrowed from English
  – Examples: le basketball, un tee-shirt, le whisky

Sources:
- https://frenchyourway.com.au/gender-of-french-nouns
- https://frenchtogether.com/french-nouns-gender/#Have_feminism_and_the_gender_equality_movement_had_an_effect_on_the_French_noun_genders

Question 4

some categories of French words that are typically Feminine:

Answer 4

• Names of fruits and vegetables ending in « _e »
  – Examples: une pomme, une carotte, une salade, une courgette
  – Exception : le gingembre
• brand names of cars
• brand names of watches
• names of rivers
  – Examples : la Loire, la Seine
  – Exception: le Rhône, le Danube
• sciences and other domains of learning (la science, l’histoire, la chimie, etc.). Le droit (the law) is one notable exception to this rule.
• Names of countires, regions and continents ending in « _e »
  – Examples : la France, l’Australie, la Provence, l’Afrique
  – Exceptions : le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique
• Names of virtues/qualities and shortcomings
  – Examples : la gentillesse, la beauté, la franchise
  –Exceptions : l’orgueil, le courage (see why in Part 2)

Question 5

• wines (le vin) category : Gender?

Answer 5

typically masculine

Question 6

• cheeses : Gender?
  Exceptions?

Answer 6

typically masculine
(although there are some exceptions, usually involving the description of the form of the cheese, for example, la tomme, une brique)

Question 7

• Names of colours: gender

Answer 7

typically masculine

Question 8

• metric units: gender?

Answer 8

typically masculine
- Examples: Le kilo, le litre, le livre, un mètre, un gramme

Question 9

• numbers Category: Gender?
  exceptions?

Answer 9

typically masculine
(note that the numeric concept that ends in -aine (=about this much, this decade of a person’s life, is feminine (la quarantaine, une cinquaiantaine de personnes))

Question 10

• metals, materials Categories; Gender

Answer 10

Typically Masculine
Examples: ( l’or (= gold), le fer (= iron), l’acier (= steel))

Question 11

• Names of languages Category: Gender

Answer 11

Typically Masculine
(le Français)

Question 12

• names of trees Category: Gender

Answer 12

Typically Masculine
(Examples: un pommier(apple tree), un cerisier(cherry tree), un chêne (= oak tree))

Question 13

• names of days of the week, seasons and months

Answer 13

Typically Masculine

Question 14

Names of countries not ending in « _e” ( le Japon etc)

Answer 14

Typically Masculine

Question 15

• Numbers and quantities Category: Gender
  – Exceptions?

Answer 15

Typically Masculine
– Examples : le 14 février, un million, un huitième (= one eighth), un tiers (= a third), un quart
– Exception #1: la moitié (= half) (see why in Part 2)
– Exception #2 : numbers ending in « _aine » : une douzaine, la trentaine, la centaine

Question 16

• Nouns made from adverbs, pronouns, verbs, etc Category Gender?

Answer 16

Typically Masculine
– Examples: le souper (supper/dinner), le mal (= evil), le pourquoi(why), le comment (how)

Question 17

• Nouns borrowed from English

Answer 17

Typically Masculine
– Examples: le basketball, un tee-shirt, le whisky

Question 18

• Names of fruits(fruit) and vegetables(vegetable) ending in « _e » Category Gender?
• Exceptions?

Answer 18

Typically Feminine
– Examples: une pomme, une carotte, une salade, une courgette
– Exception : le gingembre

Question 19

• brand names of cars(voiture) Category Gender?

Answer 19

Typically Feminine

Question 20

• brand names of watches (montre): Category Gender?

Answer 20

Typically Feminine

Question 21

• names of rivers (rivière): Category Gender?
  – Exceptions?

Answer 21

Typically Feminine
– Examples : la Loire, la Seine
– Exception: le Rhône, le Danube

Question 22

• sciences and other domains of learning (matière) Category Gender?
  – Exceptions?

Answer 22

Typically Feminine
Examples: (la science, l’histoire, la chimie, etc.).
Exceptions: Le droit (the law) is one notable exception to this rule.

Question 23

• Names of countires (pays), regions and continents ending in « _e » Category Gender?
  – – Exceptions?

Answer 23

Typically Feminine
– Examples : la France, l’Australie, la Provence, l’Afrique
– Exceptions : le Cambodge, le Mexique, le Mozambique

Question 24

• Names of virtues/qualities (virtue, qualité) and shortcomings(faiblesse) category Gender?
  – Exceptions?

Answer 24

Typically Feminine
– Examples : la gentillesse, la beauté, la franchise
–Exceptions : l’orgueil, le courage (see why in Part 2)