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French Grammar: Nouns
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PHRASES |
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Unlike English, French nouns have a gender: they are either masculine (le) or feminine (la). Therefore words for the and a(n) must agree with the noun they accompany - whether masculine, feminine or plural:
If the noun begins with a vowel (a, e, i, o or u) or an unsounded
h, le and
la shorten to
l', i.e.
l'avion (m),
l'école (f),
l'hôtel (m).
note: le and
les used after the prepositions
à (to, at) and de (any, some, of) contract as
follows:
à
+ le
= au
(au cinéma but
à
la
gare)
à
+ les
= aux
(aux magasins - (m) and (f))
de
+ le
= du
(du pain but
de
la
confiture)
de
+ les
= des
(des
pommes - (m) and (f))
There are some broad rules as to noun endings which indicate
whether they are masculine or feminine:
Generally masculine endings: Generally feminine endings:
nouns - plurals
The general rule is to add an s to the singular:
le chat *
les chats
Exceptions occur with the following noun endings:
-eau, -eu,
-al
le
bateau *
les
bateaux
le
neveu *
les
neveux
le
cheval *
les
chevaux
Nouns ending in s, x, or z do not change in the plural.
le dos *
les dos
le prix *
les prix
le nez *
les nez
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