Chapitre Un
Les modèles: patterns
Les modèles
- A language is a system of patterns, and once we recognize a pattern, we can use it to our advantage. Using patterns to help determine the gender of nouns is a good example of this.
- Of course, there are always exceptions to the “rule,” so when you encounter a word that deviates from the pattern, spend extra time studying it. Follow this link for additional tips from a mathematician who delves into the gender of French nouns and common patterns. https://vocab.chat/blog/french-noun-genders.html
- Since we do not have gendered nouns in English, it is easy to underestimate the importance of this concept in French. When learning new nouns, always practice them with their gender.
The easiest way to learn these patterns is to identify which nouns are generally feminine in French. If a noun doesn’t have a feminine ending, it is almost always masculine (around 90% of the time).
Feminine Nouns
Nouns that end in –e, –té, –tié, –ette *note the masculine nouns that end with “e” in the following portion
La liste, la liberté, la pitié, la fourchette
Masculine Nouns
Nouns that end in consonants
the majority are masculine, but there are lots of exceptions
Nouns that end in –age, –ège
l’avantage, le privilège
Nouns that end in –é
le canapé (sofa/bed), le café
Nouns that end in –isme
l’idéalisme, le réalisme
Nouns that end in –ion, –son
L’édition, la raison
Describing People and Pets
*People who know that their pet is female might use the feminine form. If the sex of a pet or
animal is unknown, the masculine form is typically used, as secondary meanings exist.
Transgender and non-binary individuals
For individuals who identify as male or female, always use the grammatical gender that corresponds to a person’s gender identity. To ask someone which pronouns they use, ask: Quels pronoms utilisez-vous ? You can state your own by saying, On me désigne par ___________ ou __________. Remember that tu and vous are not gender specific, and can be used with anyone.
French, as a highly gendered language, has not yet adapted systematically to account for non-binary gender identities. While there is a movement to use terms such as iel/ul/ol and lu/li/lo, these forms are still evolving into the language and are not yet widely incorporated across the board. Language evolves alongside the communities that use it to express their life experiences, and while there currently is not an easy solution for how to approach gender agreement for non-binary individuals, this is an ongoing conversation.
If you or someone close to you identifies as non-binary, you may choose to initiate a conversation with your instructor to discover a personalized solution that can help you communicate as effectively and accurately as possible.
Groups
Groups are only feminine when every member of the group is female. If one male is present, the group will become masculine.
L’étudiant (if he identifies as masculine)
L’étudiant (if they identify as non-binary)
L’étudiante (if she identifies as feminine)
Les étudiants (for a group of students)
Media Attributions
- Breezy dress © TwoPointsCouture is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives) license
- necktie © Gabriel Li is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives) license
Patterns
bow
necktie
pen
pen
woman
friend/girlfriend
girl
student
dog
cat
man
friend/boyfriend
son
student
dog
cat
what/which (followed by a masculine plural noun)
pronouns
do you use
You can use _____ or _____ to talk about me.
you (informal)
this pronoun has several meanings depending on its function:
subject pronoun: you (formal or plural)
direct object pronoun: you (formal or plural)
indirect object pronoun: to you (formal or plural)
reflexive pronoun: yourself (formal); yourselves
