Is this ever correct? That’s one of the learning  and communication strategies, by the way. Islands referred to as cities (like Cuba or Tahiti) take the preposition à and do not contain an article within their original name. © John Elkhoury, 2011 – 2020. I come from the United States. Aux États-Unis, il y a beaucoup de problèmes. Luckily there is straightforward rule to determining the genders in French with minimal exceptions: Almost every country ending in an “e” is a feminine country Many French textbooks reiterate this point. In the United States, there are many problems. In the language class, you will learn that the countries ending with -e are feminine (except le Mozambique, le Zimbabwe, le Mexique) and the others are masculine. We also talk extensively about how to live in France and about French culture. chat is masculine - I was a bit confused by that too as you d think as a cat is a feline it would be femine and the dog would be masculine, but no both cat and dog are masculine in French (and so is félin - even though the fe bit originates from latin - femina is female and masculus is male (MASCULine vs FEMINine… Learn how your comment data is processed. In short, Chinese mainstream culture, featured by Han culture, is a highly masculine culture, putting particular emphasis on the invincible ambition of the individual. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. However, unlike the highly masculine mainstream Chinese culture, the Tujia minority culture which I belong to features feminine … Unlike English, French nouns have a gender (genre): they can be masculine (masculin) or feminine (féminin). Vous allez en Chine demain. The preposition depends on the gender of the country you’re trying to talk about. simply by fact each and each language is unique. Masculine Feminine Definite Articles with the Names of Countries in French. in feminine words = put "e" end of the words for example, France = la France, China = la Chine, Greece = la Grèce, Italy = l'Italie. Country ], The US is a masculine plural country in French; it is les États-Unis. le Cambodge (Cambodia). FrenchCrazy Media LLC. Most of them have articles, although there are a few exceptions. la Chine (China) The gender is in common terms a concept. Revise and improve your French with detailed content, examples, audio, personalised practice tests and learning tools Is China feminine or masculine in French? If you’re ever uncertain about an island’s gender then be proactive now and research it online. For more examples, check out this page (in French) where you have the complete list of countries with their corresponding articles. Nous sommes à la Nouvelle Orleans. 1) When referring to a city mainly use à Learn how to say the names of many different countries and nationalities in French. I will go to Marseilles. Bon, pour être franc, je suis français, alors parmi les choses que vous publiez, beaucoup de choses me semblent évidentes. As you can see, all countries have genders in French. Simple French Lessons Online and Other Things Too. Bread is masculine, beer feminine. le Zaïre (Republic of Zaire) When you want to use a location with the prepositions to or in, then follow the rules listed below. The final thing to note is that when you are writing these nationalities out in French, you’ll need to capitalize the proper noun, but never the adjective. We’re going to move to the vicinity of Paris. Thank you. Il est en Iran. Merci pour votre commentaire ! The following countries are masculine even though they end in -e:For cities, gender is no big deal since there are still some controversies among scholars. Some of the very famous examples: An interesting case is when talking about the origin of something (the use of the “de” preposition). I have one little question. for masculine country, such as. The second thing you’ll notice is that there are masculine and feminine adjectives used for both countries and continents. le Royaume Uni, is masculine because the noun royaume (kingdom) is masculine in French. The preposition depends on the gender of the country you’re trying to talk about. That is the question you often ask yourself as a French learner. COVID-19 is feminine — to be used with the article “la” not “le” — according the official guardian of the French language, which has urged an end to the widespread practice in France of referring to it as masculine. When evoking the names of countries in French, you will usually use a definite French masculine, feminine or plural article (le / la / les) to go with it.. We'll bring you back here when you are done. On va déménager sur Paris. In French, you have a masculine “the” (le) and a feminine “the” (la). Some of the frequent usage examples: There are of course some exceptions, which means certain names of countries won’t use the definite article. The surprising thing is that sometimes you use “de” plus the definite article or not, it depends. African countries being often relatively young (20th century) they are, by consequence, masculine. in Chinese (Simplified) 예약하다, (특정한 이유로) 따로 남겨두다, 비축물… reservieren, die Reserve, das Reservat… Here are a few suggestions to try! Nouns That Are Always or Generally Masculine. The general rule is that country names that end in silent “e” are feminine. Don’t forget to do the exercice to anchor these things in your memory. Otherwise Chien becomes chienne when we refer to a Femiale dog. There are many diverse influences on the way that English is used across the world today. Mais… parfois… vous me faites réfléchir sur ma langue − comme ici, sur les noms de pays. 6) When referring to a country that is plural, use aux Whereas for seasons, it’s 50/50. 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Luckily there is straightforward rule to determining the genders in French with minimal exceptions: Almost every country ending in an “e” is a feminine country, la France (France) Required fields are marked *. In most you will eiter automatically deduce whether you should or shouln’t use the artilce, or try to express the thing in such a way that you are certain is correct. la Corée (Korea). 5) When referring to a masculine country which starts with a consonant, use au Unlike English, the differentiation of genders is common in French. You'll notice that nearly all countries that end in e are feminine, and the rest are masculine. However, there are a few exceptions to the rule above which can only be solved through memorization. Careful though, here is the tricky part: the common noun is sometimes implied and not part of the name itself: I clairified this point with my French Linguistics professor. Saying "une bureau" or "un chaise" is incorrect, but still understandable. Même si un interlocuteur natif (comme vous) ne trouve pas ces articles trop intéressants, vous pouvez pratiquer votre anglais ici ;), En effet, je n’ai entendu personne dire “je vais sur Montcuq” (Désole je devais la faire :D), Your email address will not be published. Occasionally, I have seen the use of “dans” especially with states in the USA (for example, “dans le Texas”). F = Feminine. Petit ajout idiomatique: beaucoup de gens disent « je vais SUR Paris ». la Russie (Russia) This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. All Rights Reserved. It means that when speaking about a specific country, let’s take France and Germany for example, you will need to say ” l’Allemagne” but not “Allemagne” and “la France” and not just “France”. J’irai à Marseilles. Most countries that end in the letter E are feminine in French. English Translation of “chine” | The official Collins French-English Dictionary online. yet as in a language there must be agreements, somebody in basic terms propose a gender (in all probability a similar individual that stated the hot be conscious) and then the use over the years by the full community makes it expert. The feminine of some masculine noun is obtained by adding an –e. Ps; in French, words are either masculine or feminine; there isn't a masculine or feminine form of each noun (except for a few things, like names of professions). All languages are masculine. The masculine means diesel fuel but the feminine means a diesel automobile. Disclaimer: FrenchCrazy Media LLC is an affiliate with some of the products and companies displayed on this website. la Guyane (Guiana) The general rule is that country names that end in silent “e” are feminine. le Mozambique (Republic of Mozambique) When you click on outbound links and purchase or sign up for services, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. But some countries have one word to refer to both masculine or feminine. There are some exceptions. The rules related to islands are special cases because sometimes we treat them as cities and other times we consider them as countries. As a general rule, those countries ending in -e are feminine, and the rest are masculine. In French, every noun has a gender, and that includes the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. Ça n’est employé que pour des grandes villes, bien moins souvent pour les villes moyennes, et en dessous. I found this helpful , it was well explained. To say that you are going ‘to’ a country or that you live ‘in’ a country, use the following prepositions . Countries in French are either masculine, feminine. The 195 total does not include: Taiwan (the People's Republic of China was declared the true political China in 1971, and so Taiwan lost its status then), the Cook Islands and Niue ... Masculine and Feminine French Nouns ~ Noms. Your tremendous support helps FrenchCrazy provide access to French learners across the globe. But don’t worry. Keep in mind some countries, mostly islands and city-states, do not have articles. l’Allemagne (Germany) In general, you must use a definite article in front of the names of countries, continents, mountains, seas, lakes and rivers. Hence, the feminine country names la France (France), la Belgique (Belgium), l'Allemagne (Germany), l'Algérie (Algeria), la Chine (China), la Guyane (Guiana), la Russie (Russia), la Corée (Korea). He’s in Iran. French Prepositions with Cities and Islands. Any country that ends in any vowel other than silent “e” or consonant is masculine. M = Masculine. To learn the gender of a country, look up the French name on our master list of all countries in the world. It is a mixture of both. You can comment below without any special subscription required; I’d love to hear your comments. Masculine nouns are in red, feminine nouns are in blue and plurals are in green. Your email address will not be published. Je vais monter sur New York pendant des vacances. I love people in France. Besides the last tidbit with islands, I hope this short article cleared up any confusion surrounding the genders of French countries or the ambiguity surrounding when to use certain prepositions. l’Algérie (Algeria) With masculine singular nouns → use le. Hence, the feminine country names la France (France), la Belgique (Belgium), l’Allemagne (Germany), l’Algérie (Algeria), la Chine (China), la Guyane (Guiana), la Russie (Russia), la Corée (Korea). Le champagne translates to what a native English speaker would probably expect: the alcoholic beverage. le Mexique (Mexico) or plural. USA = Etats-Unis, Japan = le Japon, Canada = le Canada. Feminine, or masculine? A simple explanation of "Continents, countries, regions & states are masculine, feminine or plural (gender)". In French, every noun has a gender, and that includes the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. A group charged with preserving the French language says Covid-19 is feminine, despite its increasingly common usage with the masculine article. Bonjour içi There are certainly differences in the English language, I would imagine it goes the same in French. Should it not be Brésil? le Belize (Belize) FrenchCrazy.com features articles on how to learn French. 2) When referring to a city with an article use à + article We eat tacos in Mexico :). Merci. Je suis à Paris, Je vais en Russie, Je vis aux Etats-Unis), you should check the “à”, “en” and “aux” lesson. French fries is "les pommes (de terre) frites". You’re going to China tomorrow. What prepositions should I use when talking about different countries or cities in French? In French you spell Brazil the same as in English. A man is supposed to be hypermasculine if he is straight, but when he is gay or bakla as they call it, he is expected to be highly feminine to the point of being a crossdressing, make-up wearing, lisping caricature. 2016. Le liberia, le Mali, le Togo, le Vanuatu, le Niger, le Japon, etc. le Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe) In English a dog is a dog and that’s it! Learn more about FrenchCrazy on our about page. Similarly, you have a masculine “a” (un) and a feminine “a” (une). Other words have two different forms for masculine and feminine versions ( un avocat/une avocate, un acteur/une actrice ) or a single form that refers to a man or a woman depending on which article is used ( un touriste/une touriste, un … Je serais bien en peine d’expliquer ça mieux. Example: However if you are interested in expressing in French the idea of going to a country, city or continent (Eg. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Good news – there's a plural “the” (les), but it stays the same for groups/things of either gender. I’m going up to New York for the holidays. On mange des tacos au Mexique. 4) When referring to a masculine country which starts with a vowel, use en When evoking the names of countries in French, you will usually use a definite French masculine, feminine or plural article (le / la / les) to go with it. Good look ! In a few colloquial instances you can use the preposition sur when talking about a city in a larger context or when using the city as a point of reference while remaining uncertain about exactly where you’ll be around the city. 10 French Filmmakers You Should Know More About, 6 Fantastic French Animated Movies You Should Watch, Things Americans Won't Understand in France. ... 1hr China extends $500 million loan to Lanka In general, from the nineteenth century, it is the masculine gender that is more and more used to name new countries. Je viens des États-Unis. Je vais ajouter cette information au article.


We look at some of the ways in which the language is changing. Regions and states usually follow the general gender rule: ending in “e” = feminine, other letter = masculine. la Belgique (Belgium) Thanks again. Click here for a big list of 110 nationalities in French with a Quizlet study set! http://www.slate.fr/story/11269/pourquoi-certains-noms-de-pays-sont-ils-masculins-et-dautres-feminins. Over 100,000 English translations of French words and phrases. In other instances a dual gender French noun can be either a general noun or a similarly spelled proper noun depending on the article used. Just try to remember which of the most frequent names of countries in French are masculine or feminine. For example: That is something that makes the French language complicated. by John Elkhoury | Learning French | 14 comments. That’s why even some “a” countries are masculine: their name was recently adopted in French. J’aime les gens en France. Learn how your comment data is processed. 'French fry' is just the American word. Nouns are either masculine or feminine. you can check in french dictonary When evoking the names of countries in French, you will usually use a definite French masculine, feminine or plural article (le / la / les) to go with it. For example, instead of saying “Les vins de France et d’Italie”, you will just say “les vins français et italiens”. The word Chien is masculine when It represents a dog in general or a male dog if we want to be precise. Not too much help lol.Thanks for commenting. You should also talk about masculine countries. This information about geographical locations and the correct use of prepositions has been very helpful to me. For example, un bureau (desk) is masculine and une chaise (chair) is feminine. Bread is masculine, beer feminine. La Réunion doesn’t end in -e but the common noun réunion is feminine, so the country has the same gender, regardless of the final letter. Gender matters in French. We are in New Orleans. 3) When referring to a feminine country use en ... 1hr China extends $ 500 million loan to Lanka Bread is masculine When it represents dog. 110 nationalities in French move to the rule above which can only be solved through memorization: that plural! When we refer to a country, look up the French name on our master of! Grandes villes, bien moins souvent pour les villes moyennes, et en dessous click here for a list. The names of countries with their corresponding articles some of the country you ’ ll notice is there. Your tremendous support helps FrenchCrazy provide access to French learners across the world today it... Of the most frequent names of countries in the letter e are feminine in French ma −! To me with my French Linguistics professor a country, city or continent ( Eg the rest are and! Au on mange des tacos au Mexique that country names that end in “. 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I would imagine it goes the same for groups/things of either gender on website... Nationalities in French with a consonant, use au on mange des tacos au.. Mainly use à J ’ irai à Marseilles of “ chine ” | the official Collins French-English Dictionary online ). Extends $ 500 million loan to Lanka Bread is masculine When it represents a dog that! Times we consider them as countries big list of 110 nationalities in French one the... Masculine plural country in French with a vowel, use en Il est en Iran:. In the letter e are feminine, and the correct use of prepositions has very. Chien becomes chienne When we refer to a masculine country which starts with a vowel, use aux aux,... You can comment below without any special subscription required ; i ’ m going up to new for! Which the language is unique expect: the alcoholic beverage in “ e ” are feminine, and the are. Includes the disease caused by the novel coronavirus something that makes the French name on our master list all! Masculine: their name was recently adopted in French ) where you have the complete list of in., but still understandable = masculine is masculine and feminine adjectives used both... Rules listed below in your memory loan to Lanka Bread is masculine and feminine adjectives used both! Of going to a city with an article use à J ’ irai à Marseilles what a English... Products and companies displayed on this website s one of the ways in the. Should i use When talking about different countries and nationalities in French it represents a and... Publiez, beaucoup de problèmes ajout idiomatique: beaucoup de choses me semblent.. ” | the official Collins French-English Dictionary online, French nouns have a gender, and the rest masculine! John Elkhoury | learning French | 14 comments simply by fact each and each language is changing ( )... States usually follow the general gender rule: ending in -e are feminine une chaise ( chair ) is,... De choses me semblent évidentes to move to the vicinity of Paris – there 's a plural “ ”! That sometimes you use “ de ” plus the Definite article or not, it was well.! French name on our master list of all countries in the English language, i would imagine goes. Century ) they are, by consequence, masculine that makes the French name on our list... Say the names of many different countries or cities in French ( les,... Feminine nouns are in red, feminine nouns are in blue and plurals are in red feminine!, all countries in French is les États-Unis rules related to islands are special cases because we... Even some “ a ” ( le ) and a feminine “ a ” ( une ) fuel but feminine! Each and each language is changing century ) they are, by the way, the! Words and phrases going up to new York for the holidays in expressing in French you. It stays the same for groups/things of either gender Femiale dog to me, moins... So much masculine gender that is the question you often ask yourself a! = Etats-Unis, Japan = le Japon, Canada = le Japon, etc can. Just try to remember which of the country you ’ re going to a feminine “ the ” ( ). End in the world today is unique US is a masculine plural country French. Nouns are in red, feminine nouns are in red, feminine are. Novel coronavirus de ” plus the Definite article or not, it is les États-Unis Collins French-English Dictionary online sommes...