Nouns that end in a vowel plus L, N, or T usually become feminine by doubling the consonant before adding E.
Ending: en > enne Noun: le gardien (guard)
Masculine singular le gardien
Feminine singular la gardienne
Masculine plural les gardiens
Feminine plural les gardiennes
Ending: el > elle Noun: le colonel (colonel)
Masculine singular le colonel
Feminine singular la colonelle
Masculine plural les colonels
Feminine plural les colonelles
Nouns that end in er need a grave accent:
Ending: er > ère Noun: le boulanger (baker)
Masculine singular le boulanger
Feminine singular la boulangère
Masculine plural les boulangers
Feminine plural les boulangères
The final letters eur have two possible irregular feminine endings:
Ending: eur > euse Noun: un danseur (dancer)
Masculine singular un danseur
Feminine singular une danseuse
Masculine plural des danseurs
Feminine plural des danseuses
Ending: eur > rice Noun: un acteur (actor)
Masculine singular un acteur
Feminine singular une actrice
Masculine plural des acteurs
Feminine plural des actrices
Notes
- These rules are similar for making adjectives feminine
- The rules for making nouns feminine apply only to people and some animals. They do not apply to objects, which have only one form: masculine or feminine.
- Compound nouns have their own gender rules.
