Feminine nouns and adjectives in French

đź‘© Feminine Nouns and Adjectives in French: Rules, Examples, and Tips

Learning how to form the feminine in French is one of the most important grammar points for beginners.

Both nouns (words that name people, professions, objects) and adjectives (words that describe) often change depending on whether they refer to something masculine or feminine.

In this guide, you’ll learn the main rules for forming the feminine, plus plenty of examples so you can practice right away.


1. Feminine Nouns in French

French nouns have a gender: masculine or feminine. Some nouns are always feminine (une table), some are always masculine (un livre), but many nouns referring to people or professions change form depending on gender.

General Rule: Add -e

For many nouns, the feminine is formed by adding -e to the masculine.

  • un Ă©tudiant → une Ă©tudiante (student)

  • un voisin → une voisine (neighbor)

  • un ami → une amie (friend)

👉 If the masculine already ends in -e, the form usually stays the same:

  • un journaliste → une journaliste

  • un touriste → une touriste


Nouns Ending in -eur

Often change to -euse or -rice in the feminine.

  • un danseur → une danseuse

  • un vendeur → une vendeuse

  • un acteur → une actrice

  • un directeur → une directrice


Irregular Feminine Forms

Some nouns change completely:

  • un homme → une femme (man → woman)

  • un garçon → une fille (boy → girl)

  • un roi → une reine (king → queen)


2. Feminine Adjectives in French

Adjectives must agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

General Rule: Add -e to the masculine

  • un livre intĂ©ressant → une histoire intĂ©ressante

  • un ami heureux → une amie heureuse


Adjectives Ending in -e (No Change)

If the masculine already ends in -e, the feminine stays the same.

  • un homme sympathique → une femme sympathique

  • un ami rapide → une amie rapide


Adjectives Ending in -f → Change to -ve

  • un frère sportif → une sĹ“ur sportive

  • un Ă©lève actif → une Ă©lève active


Adjectives Ending in -x → Change to -se

  • un garçon heureux → une fille heureuse

  • un homme sĂ©rieux → une femme sĂ©rieuse


Adjectives Ending in -eur → Change to -euse

  • un travailleur → une travailleuse

  • un menteur → une menteuse


Adjectives Ending in -er → Change to -ère

  • un frère fier → une sĹ“ur fière

  • un homme cher → une amie chère


Irregular Feminine Adjectives

Some adjectives have completely irregular feminine forms:

  • beau → belle (beautiful)

  • nouveau → nouvelle (new)

  • vieux → vieille (old)

  • blanc → blanche (white)

  • long → longue (long)


3. Examples in Sentences

  • Mon voisin est sympathique. Ma voisine est sympathique aussi.
    → My neighbor (male) is nice. My neighbor (female) is nice too.

  • Un homme heureux, une femme heureuse.
    → A happy man, a happy woman.

  • Un acteur cĂ©lèbre, une actrice cĂ©lèbre.
    → A famous actor, a famous actress.

  • Un vieux livre, une vieille histoire.
    → An old book, an old story.


4. Tips to Master Feminine Forms

✔️ Learn patterns: Most follow simple rules (-e, -f → -ve, -x → -se).
✔️ Memorize irregulars: Words like beau → belle and vieux → vieille are frequent.
✔️ Practice in pairs: Always learn nouns/adjectives in masculine AND feminine.
✔️ Notice context: Spoken French makes gender clear with articles: un/une, le/la.


âś… Quick Recap

  • Nouns: Feminine often adds -e, but some are irregular (acteur → actrice).

  • Adjectives: Must agree with the noun; common endings change:

    • -f → -ve (sportif → sportive)

    • -x → -se (heureux → heureuse)

    • -eur → -euse (travailleur → travailleuse)

    • Irregular: beau → belle, vieux → vieille, blanc → blanche


Conclusion

Understanding how to form the feminine nouns and adjectives in French is essential for building correct sentences and sounding natural. With practice, these rules will become automatic.

👉 Practice tip: Write 5 sentences using masculine + feminine pairs (ex: un voisin sympathique / une voisine sympathique).


TAGS: Feminine nouns in French, Feminine adjectives in French, French grammar feminine rules, Masculine and feminine in French, How to form feminine words in French

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