Nouns and their gender

Les noms et leur genre

Les noms ont un genre en français :masculin ou féminin.

(Nouns have a gender in French: masculine or feminine.)

Teacher explanation

French gender for professions: the key idea

French has no neutral gender. Every job/profession noun is masculine or feminine.

The article helps you see the gender: un / le (masculine) and une / la (feminine).
Sometimes the noun changes (avocat → avocate).
Sometimes the noun stays the same and only the article changes (un médecin / une médecin).

Step 1 — Pick the right article (un/une, le/la)

Meaning	Masculine	Feminine
“a / an” (indefinite)	un avocat	une avocate
“the” (definite)	le comédien	la comédienne

Self-check: If you can choose un/le vs une/la correctly, you are already doing 50% of the job.

Step 2 — Common ways to form the feminine job noun

Many professions follow predictable patterns. Learn these as “templates”.

Pattern	Masculine	Feminine
General: + e	un avocat	une avocate
-en → -enne	un comédien	une comédienne
-er → -ère	un boulanger	une boulangère
No change (article changes)	un médecin	une médecin

Tip: The feminine form often adds a written ending that you can see even if pronunciation changes only a little.
Don’t guess wildly: if you’re not sure, check whether the noun is “no change”.

Step 3 — l’ before vowels (and silent h): gender stays the same

l’ replaces le or la before a vowel or a silent h.

Form	Example	What to notice
Masculine or feminine	l’ avocat / l’ avocate	Same l’; gender is not visible on the article

Meaning: l’ does not mean “masculine” or “feminine”. It only means “the” + easier pronunciation.
In speech: you often need context (or the adjective) to know the gender.

Important exceptions: some feminine forms are different

Some job nouns do not follow “add -e”. They have a separate form.

un acteur → une actrice

Learning tip: Treat these as new vocabulary pairs (like irregular verbs).

Jobs that do not change: only the article shows gender

For some professions referring to people, the noun can stay the same.

un médecin / une médecin
un journaliste / une journaliste

Self-check: If you see the same job word for a man and a woman, look at the article (un/une, le/la/l’).

Fast checklist before you speak

Who is it? (man/woman/person) → choose un/une or le/la.
Does the job noun change? Use a known pattern: +e, -en → -enne, -er → -ère, or no change.
Does it start with a vowel/silent h? Use l’ (but keep the correct gender in your head).
Watch the adjective (if there is one): it often confirms gender.
Example: une avocate compétente / un avocat compétent.

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Mixing article and noun: ~~une avocat~~ → une avocate
Forgetting l’: ~~la avocat~~ → l’avocat
Assuming every feminine is “+e”: acteur → actrice (special pair)
Over-changing “no change” jobs: ~~une médecinne~~ → une médecin

In French, there is no neuter gender.

Règle (Rule)	Masculin (Masculine)	Féminin (Feminine)
Générale+ -e	Un / L' avocat (A / The lawyer)	Une / L' avocate (A / The (female) lawyer)
-En-enne	Un / Le comédien (A / The actor)	Une / La comédienne (A / The actress)
-Er-ère	Un / Le boulanger (A / The baker)	Une / La boulangère (A / The (female) baker)
-	Un / Le médecin (A / The doctor)	Une / La médecin (A / The (female) doctor)

Exceptions!

L' is used before a noun that begins with a vowel or a silent 'h', regardless of the noun’s gender.
Some nouns have completely different forms in the masculine and feminine: un acteur, une actrice.
Some nouns that refer to people do not change; only the article indicates the gender: un/une journaliste.

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

1. Je suis Paul, ___ avocat à Paris.

2. Voici Marie, c’est ___ boulangère dans notre quartier.

3. Camille travaille à l’hôpital, c’est ___ médecin.

4. Je suis étudiant et ma femme est ___ avocate.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Rewrite the sentences by changing the job title from masculine to feminine or from feminine to masculine, using the correct article (a/an, the).

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints

Hint Hint (Ma sœur) Mon frère est avocat à Lyon.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Ma sœur est avocate à Lyon.
(My sister is a lawyer in Lyon.)
Le boulanger travaille dans cette rue.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
La boulangère travaille dans cette rue.
(The (female) baker works on this street.)
C’est un comédien très célèbre.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
C’est une comédienne très célèbre.
(She is a very famous actress.)
Hint Hint (Mon frère) Ma sœur est médecin dans un hôpital.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
Mon frère est médecin dans un hôpital.
(My brother is a doctor in a hospital.)
Hint Hint (L’avocate) L’avocat parle avec le client.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
L’avocate parle avec la cliente.
(The (female) lawyer is speaking with the (female) client.)
C’est une journaliste française.

⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
C’est un journaliste français.
(He is a French journalist.)