Singular Indefinite Articles and the Grammatical Gender of Nouns
1.8.1. The Main Idea
In French, every noun has a grammatical gender: masculine or feminine.
To say a or an, use un before a masculine singular noun and une before a feminine singular noun.
un livre | a book |
un café | a café / a coffee |
une table | a table |
une classe | a class |
The article is part of the nounâs identity. Learn nouns with un or une from the beginning.
1.8.2. Masculine Nouns with Un
Use un with masculine singular nouns.
un livre | a book |
un stylo | a pen |
un cahier | a notebook |
un sac | a bag |
un café | a café / a coffee |
un musée | a museum |
un cours | a class / course |
un examen | an exam |
un professeur | a professor / teacher |
un Ă©tudiant | a student, masculine |
1.8.3. Feminine Nouns with Une
Use une with feminine singular nouns.
une table | a table |
une chaise | a chair |
une classe | a class |
une question | a question |
une réponse | an answer |
une université | a university |
une Ă©cole | a school |
une adresse | an address |
une artiste | an artist, feminine |
une Ă©tudiante | a student, feminine |
1.8.4. People and Gender
For people, the noun often changes depending on the personâs gender.
un Ă©tudiant | a male student |
une Ă©tudiante | a female student |
un ami | a male friend |
une amie | a female friend |
un acteur | an actor |
une actrice | an actress |
un musicien | a male musician |
une musicienne | a female musician |
un Canadien | a Canadian man |
une Canadienne | a Canadian woman |
Sometimes the noun form looks the same, but the article shows the gender.
un artiste | a male artist |
une artiste | a female artist |
un photographe | a male photographer |
une photographe | a female photographer |
un Ă©lĂšve | a male student / pupil |
une Ă©lĂšve | a female student / pupil |
1.8.5. Things Have Gender Too
For objects and ideas, gender is grammatical. It does not mean the object is male or female.
un livre | a book, masculine |
une table | a table, feminine |
un problĂšme | a problem, masculine |
une langue | a language, feminine |
un pays | a country, masculine |
une ville | a city, feminine |
A book is not âmaleâ and a table is not âfemale.â French just gives nouns little grammar passports, and each passport says masculine or feminine.
1.8.6. Common Ending Clues
Some endings often suggest gender, but there are exceptions.
Often masculine:
-age | un voyage, un fromage |
-ment | un appartement, un moment |
-eau | un tableau, un bureau |
-isme | un tourisme, un réalisme |
Often feminine:
-tion | une question, une réservation |
-sion | une décision, une télévision |
-té | une université, une liberté |
-ure | une culture, une sculpture |
-ance | une chance, une importance |
These are clues, not iron laws. When in doubt, check the article.
1.8.7. Un / Une Before Vowel Sounds
Un and une do not change before vowel sounds.
un Ă©tudiant | a student, masculine |
une Ă©tudiante | a student, feminine |
un examen | an exam |
une Ă©cole | a school |
un artiste | an artist, masculine |
une artiste | an artist, feminine |
Unlike le and la, un and une do not become lâ.
1.8.8. Asking What Something Is
Use Quâest-ce que câest ? to ask What is it?
Quâest-ce que câest ? | What is it? |
Câest un livre. | It is a book. |
Câest un stylo. | It is a pen. |
Câest une table. | It is a table. |
Câest une question. | It is a question. |
1.8.9. Saying This Is / It Is
Use câest un or câest une to say this is a / it is a.
Câest un cafĂ©. | It is a cafĂ© / coffee. |
Câest un musĂ©e. | It is a museum. |
Câest une Ă©cole. | It is a school. |
Câest une universitĂ©. | It is a university. |
Câest une bonne question. | That is a good question. |
1.8.10. With Adjectives
Adjectives often change to match the gender of the noun.
un bon cours | a good class |
une bonne classe | a good class |
un petit café | a small café |
une petite table | a small table |
un étudiant français | a French male student |
une étudiante française | a French female student |
You will learn adjective agreement in more detail later. For now, notice that the nounâs gender affects nearby words.
1.8.11. Core Patterns
un + masculine singular noun | un livre |
une + feminine singular noun | une table |
Câest un ___. | It is a ___, masculine |
Câest une ___. | It is a ___, feminine |
Quâest-ce que câest ? | What is it? |
Learn noun with article | un livre, une table |
1.8.12. Practice
a book | |
a pen | |
a class / course | |
a question | |
a university | |
a male student | |
a female student | |
It is a museum. | |
It is a school. | |
What is it? |
1.8.13. Answers
a book | un livre |
a pen | un stylo |
a class / course | un cours |
a question | une question |
a university | une université |
a male student | un Ă©tudiant |
a female student | une Ă©tudiante |
It is a museum. | Câest un musĂ©e. |
It is a school. | Câest une Ă©cole. |
What is it? | Quâest-ce que câest ? |
1.8.14. Short Dialogue
A : Quâest-ce que câest ? | A: What is it? |
B : Câest un livre. | B: It is a book. |
A : Et ça ? | A: And that? |
B : Câest une chaise. | B: It is a chair. |
A : Câest un stylo ? | A: Is it a pen? |
B : Non, câest un crayon. | B: No, it is a pencil. |
A : Et ça, câest une Ă©cole ? | A: And that, is it a school? |
B : Non, câest une universitĂ©. | B: No, it is a university. |
1.8.15. Checkpoint
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to use un with masculine singular nouns and une with feminine singular nouns, understand that French nouns have grammatical gender, ask Quâest-ce que câest ?, and answer with Câest un⊠or Câest uneâŠ.
1.8.16. Try It Out
Try saying this in French:
What is it?
It is a book.
Possible answer:
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