Knowing Your "le" From Your "la"

Is there a way to know the genders of French nouns?

Yes, there is.

The gender of a noun is generally decided by the last sound of the word. Not just the last letter. Indeed, it would be a mistake to think that feminine nouns end in "e", and masculine nouns never end in "e". You usually need to look at a group of letters that ends the word, thus appropriately called "the ending".

Here are some common endings of feminine nouns:

1. -tion/sion: la question, la solution, la station
2. -ure: la voiture, la confiture
3. -ence/ance: la diff rence, la vigilance

Here are some common endings of masculine nouns:

1. -ment: le gouvernement, le b timent
2. -age: le fromage, le ch mage
3. -eau: le bateau, le manteau

There are many more sounds that indicate one gender or the other. There are also some exceptions, in some cases. To retain which endings comes with which gender, follow the steps:

1. Choose an ending you want to concentrate on. For example, -tion/sion.
2. Collect as many words in -tion/sion as you can, and make a list.
3. Clearly indicate the gender. In this case, feminine, by using feminine articles.
4. Write a few sentences with some of your examples, show casing the noun gender: la vieille question.
5. Read a few examples aloud, using a feminine article (la, une).
6. Record your examples on your mobile phone voice recorder.
7. Use your recording as a Dictaphone: write what you hear, then check the spelling (and gender agreement).

You will find that these exercises will help you to remember. This will help to improve your speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.