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French Nouns
Unlike in English, you have to be concerned about the gender of the nouns you use in your sentences. The gender of the noun determines the adjective or pronoun you use with it, and many nouns have two different forms, depending on whether you are speaking of the male or female. In addition, a word spelled or sounded the same way may have a different meaning, depending on whether it is masculine or feminine. So it is important to pay attention to the article (la, le, un, une)
| un aide male assistant |
une aide, female assistant |
| le bal dance |
la balle ball |
| la balle ball |
la barre bar (rod) |
| le barbe barb |
la barbe beard |
| le cache card/mask |
la cache cache, hiding place |
| le capital capital, money |
la capitale capital city, capital letter |
| le casse break-in, robbery |
la casse breaking, damage, breakages |
| le cave (slang) idiot, sucker |
la cave basement, cellar |
| le champagne champagne |
la Champagne Champagne region |
| la Champagne Champagne region |
la chaine chain, channel, stereo |
| la chaine chain, channel, stereo |
la chevre goat |
| le chose thingie, contraption |
la chose thing |
| le col collar, neck |
la colle glue |
| le coq rooster |
la coque hull, fuselage |
| le cours class, course |
la cour courtyard |
| le crepe crepe material |
la crepe thin pancake |
| le critique male critic |
la critique criticism, review, female critic |
| le faune faun |
la faune fauna |
| le fil thread, yarn, string |
la file line, queue |
| le gene gene |
la gene trouble, bother |
| le lac lake |
la laque lacquer, shellac |
| le legume vegetable |
la legume (slang) la grosse legume - big shot |
| le lieu place |
la lieue league |
| la lieue league |
la livre pound (money & weight) |
| le mal evil |
la malle trunk |
| le manoeuvre laborer |
la manoeuvre maneuver, operation |
| le memoire memo, report |
la memoire memory |
| le merci thanks |
la merci mercy |
| la merci mercy |
la morale moral (of story), morals |
| le mort dead body |
la mort death |
| le moule mold |
la moule mussel |
| la moule mussel |
la mure blackberry |
| la mure blackberry |
la physique physics |
| la physique physics |
la reine queen |
| le rose pink (color) |
la rose rose (flower) |
| le roux red, red-head |
la roux (soup base) |
| le sel salt |
la selle saddle |
| la selle saddle |
la soie silk |
| le sol ground, floor, soil |
la sole sole (fish) |
| le tour, turn, |
la tour tower |
| le vague vagueness |
la vague wave |
| le vapeur steamer |
la vapeur steam, haze, |
| la vapeur steam, haze, |
la voile sail |
Most nouns form their plural by adding "s", just as in English. There are a number of nouns that form their plural differently:
| Singular |
Plural |
| Le journal newspaper |
journaux |
| Un couteau |
des couteaux |
| Le reseau |
les reseaux |
What Did We Learn?
Paying close attention to the article, say the following:
- We are going to a dance/there is a grand ball at the townhall (mairie).
- Let's go the the bar tonight/ the dancer stands at the barre.
- There is a large oak tree in front of that house/I like to watch public T.V.
- The collar of his shirt is white/I need glue to fix (reparer) the plate.
- This course is easy/that courtyard is beautiful.
- I love to eat mussels/he broke (casser) the mold.
- Santa and his reindeers/the Queen of England
- Put the sole on the ground.
- It is your turn to enter the tower.
- That old hat has a veil/that old boat has a sail.
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