Noms avec deux genres - French Nouns with Two Genders

The gender of nouns tends to be a sticky grammar point for French students, especially when it does not exist in their mother tongue. Although getting the gender right is very important, most of the time the wrong gender will not hinder your ability to understand or to communicate in French, because most words have a single gender. For example, un bureau (desk) is masculine and une chaise (chair) is feminine. Saying une bureau or un chaise is incorrect, but still understandable. Other words have two different forms for masculine and feminine versions (un avocat/une avocate, un acteur/une actrice) or a single form that refers to a man or a woman depending on which article is used (un touriste/une touriste, un artiste/une artiste). However, there are a number of French nouns which are identical in pronunciation (and often spelling as well) but which have different meanings depending on whether they are masculine or feminine. Probably a good idea to memorize this list. :-)

Masculine Feminine un aide une aide help, assistance, female male assistant assistant un auteur author une hauteur height le bal dance la balle ball le bar bar/pub, bass (fish) la barre bar (rod), barre, helm le barbe barb la barbe beard les barbes ragged edge le barde bard la barde armor for a horse le basilic basil, basilisk la basilique basilica le basque Basque language la basque tails (of a jacket) le boum bang, explosion, (fam) la boum (inf) party success le bout tip, end la boue mud le bugle bugle la bugle bugleweed le cache card/mask (to hide la cache cache, hiding place s.t.) le capital capital, money la capitale capital city, capital letter le carpe carpus la carpe carp le cartouche cartouche la cartouche cartridge, carton le casse la casse breaking, damage, break-in, robbery breakages le cave (familiar) idiot, sucker la cave basement, cellar le champagne la Champagne region champagne Champagne le chêne oak tree/wood la chaîne chain, channel, stereo le chèvre goat cheese la chèvre goat le chine china, rice paper la chine second hand / used trade la Chine China le chose thingie, contraption la chose thing le col collar, neck la colle glue le coq rooster la coque hull, fuselage, cockle le cours class la cour court, yard le court (tennis) court le crème coffee with cream la crème cream le crêpe crepe material la crêpe thin pancake le cric jack la crique creek, inlet le critique male critic la critique criticism, review, fem critic le diesel diesel fuel la diesel diesel automobile un enseigne ensign (rank) une enseigne sign

ensign (flag, banner) un espace space une espace printing space une Espace car model from Renault le fait fact la fête party le faune faun la faune fauna le fil thread, yarn, string la file line, queue le finale finale (music) la finale final (sports) le foie liver la foi faith une fois once, one time le foudre (ironic) leader, large la foudre lightning cask le garde la garde guard duty, custody, guard, warden, keeper private nurse le gène la gêne trouble, bother, gene embarrassment le geste gesture la geste gest, epic poem le gîte shelter, cottage la gîte list, inclination of ship le greffe court clerk's office la greffe transplant, graft le guide guide (book or la guide girl scout/guide person) les guides reins un interligne une space (typography) lead (typography) interligne le jars gander la jarre jar le lac lake la laque lacquer, shellac, hairspray le légume la légume (informal) la grosse vegetable légume - big shot le lieu place la lieue league le livre book la livre pound (money & weight) le maire mayor la mer sea la mère mother le mal evil la malle trunk le manche handle la manche sleeve la Manche English Channel le la laborer maneuver, operation manoeuvre manoeuvre le manque à la manque (familiar) crummy, lack, shortage, fault second-rate le mari husband la mari apocope of la marijuana Marie feminine name le martyre male martyr, la martyre female martyr martyrdom le mémoire memo, report, la mémoire memory memoirs le merci thanks la merci mercy le mi mi (musical note E) la mie soft part of bread le mode method, way, mood la mode fashion le moral morale la morale moral (of story), morals le mort dead body la mort death le mou softness la moue pout le moule mold la moule mussel le mousse ship's boy (apprentice) la mousse moss, froth, foam, mousse le mur wall la mûre blackberry un oeuvre body of work une oeuvre piece of work, task un ombre grayling (fish) une ombre shade, shadow orange orange (color) une orange orange (fruit) le page page boy la page page (of a book) le pair peer la paire pair le père father le Pâques Easter la pâque Passover les Pâques Easter le parallèle parallel (figurative) la parallèle parallel line le pendule pendulum la pendule clock personne (negative pronoun) no la personne person one le pet (familiar) fart la paie pay

la paix peace le physique physique, face la physique physics le plastique plastic la plastique modeling arts, body shape le platine la platine turntable, deck, strip of platinum metal le poêle stove la poêle frying pan le poids weight la poix pitch, tar le pois pea, dot le politique politician la politique politics, policy le ponte (informal) big shot la ponte laying eggs, clutch of eggs le poste job, post, tv/radio set la poste post office, mail/post le pot jar, pot, tin, can la peau skin le pub pub/bar la pub ad (publicité - advertising) le pupille la pupille pupil of an eye, female male ward ward le radio radio operator la radio radio, X ray le relâche la relâche rest, respite, break*, port rest, respite, break* of call le renne reindeer la reine queen le rose pink (color) la rose rose (flower) le roux red, red-head, roux la roue wheel

(soup base) le secrétaire male secretary la secrétaire female secretary

writing desk, secretary le sel salt la selle saddle le soi self, id la soie silk le sol ground, floor, soil la sole sole (fish) le solde balance (account), la solde pay sale le somme snooze, nap la somme sum, amount le souris smile (archaic) la souris mouse le tic tic, twitch la tique tick le tour tour, turn, trick la tour tower, rook (chess) le trompette trumpeter la trompette trumpet le vague vagueness la vague wave le vapeur steamer la vapeur steam, haze, vapor le vase vase la vase silt, mud le vigile night watchman la vigile vigil le visa visa (to enter a la visa Visa (credit card) country) le voile veil la voile sail *For these meanings, relâche can be masculine or feminine.