Sorting game
Le or la? Sort French nouns by their endings
A sorting game for French noun gender: drop each noun into le or la using its ending (-age, -tion, -ment, -ette, -eau). Learn the patterns that work 80% of the time.
- A1
- 12 words to sort
- 2 boxes
- Tap to play
- Learn this in the A1 notebook →
In short
You often can. Nouns ending in -age, -ment, -eau, -isme and -oir are usually masculine; nouns ending in -tion, -sion, -ette, -ure, -té and -ence are usually feminine. There are exceptions (la plage, l'eau), so treat endings as a strong hint, not a law.
Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn
Tap a word, then the box it belongs in.
Which noun endings are masculine or feminine in French?
| Ending | Usually | Examples | Famous exceptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| -age | masculine | le garage, le message | la plage, la page, l'image |
| -ment | masculine | le moment, l'appartement | – |
| -eau | masculine | le gâteau, le chapeau | l'eau, la peau |
| -tion / -sion | feminine | la question, la décision | – |
| -ette | feminine | la fourchette, la cigarette | le squelette |
| -té | feminine | la beauté, la santé | l'été, le côté |
- Client
Je voudrais un… une… courgette ?
I'd like a… a… courgette?
- Vendeuse
Une courgette, oui ! Le *-ette*, c'est féminin.
A courgette, yes! *-ette* is feminine.
- Client
Et le fromage ? *Un* fromage, à cause du *-age* ?
And cheese? *Un* fromage, because of *-age*?
- Vendeuse
Exactement. Vous apprenez vite !
Exactly. You learn fast!
Endings beat guessing by meaning: there's nothing feminine about une voiture or masculine about un fromage. When you meet a new noun, learn it with its article, and use the ending as a back-up when you forget.