Le genre et le pluriel des noms
Master the rules and exceptions for masculine, feminine, and plural noun forms in French.
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the book
A masculine noun representing a book. In French, nouns ending in a consonant or '-e' can vary, but 'livre' is consistently masculine, unlike 'la livre' which means a pound of currency or weight.
J'ai laissé le livre sur ta table de chevet hier soir.
I left the book on your nightstand last night.
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the table
A feminine noun used for a table. The ending '-able' is typically feminine in French, and its plural form simply adds a silent '-s' (les tables).
On s'installe à la table près de la fenêtre ?
Shall we sit at the table by the window?
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the notebook
A masculine noun referring to a notebook or exercise book. Nouns ending in '-er' are almost exclusively masculine in French.
Tu as vu mon cahier de brouillon ? Je ne le trouve plus.
Have you seen my draft notebook? I can't find it anymore.
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the chair
A feminine noun denoting a chair. It follows the standard regular plural pattern, becoming 'les chaises' with no change in pronunciation.
Apporte une chaise supplémentaire pour l'invité, s'il te plaît.
Please bring an extra chair for the guest.
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the pen
A masculine noun for a pen. Nouns ending in '-o' (often short for longer historical words like stylo-bille) are overwhelmingly masculine.
Je peux t'emprunter un stylo ? Le mien n'a plus d'encre.
Can I borrow a pen? Mine has run out of ink.
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the ruler / the rule
A feminine noun that can mean a physical measuring ruler or an abstract rule/regulation. Its plural form is 'les règles'.
Il utilise une règle en métal pour tracer des lignes bien droites.
He uses a metal ruler to draw perfectly straight lines.
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a computer
A masculine noun meaning a computer, introduced by the indefinite masculine article 'un'. Nouns ending in '-eur' that denote inanimate objects and machines are masculine.
Mon ordinateur rame un peu depuis la dernière mise à jour.
My computer has been running a bit slow since the last update.
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a television
A feminine noun for a television, matching the indefinite feminine article 'une'. Abstract or technical nouns ending in '-sion' or '-tion' are almost always feminine in French.
On devrait s'acheter une télévision plus grande pour le salon.
We should buy a bigger television for the living room.
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the dog (male)
A masculine noun specifically referencing a male dog, or used as the generic term for the species. Nouns ending in '-ien' form their feminine equivalent by doubling the 'n' and adding an 'e'.
Le chien des voisins n'arrête pas d'aboyer aujourd'hui.
The neighbors' dog won't stop barking today.
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the dog (female)
The specific feminine form of 'le chien', meaning a female dog. It requires the feminine article 'la' and changes pronunciation slightly due to the open 'e' sound in the double-n ending.
Leur chienne vient d'avoir une portée de quatre chiots adorables.
Their female dog just had a litter of four adorable puppies.
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a cat (male/generic)
A masculine noun representing a male cat, also commonly used as the generic term for any cat regardless of sex. The final 't' remains silent in both the singular and plural forms.
Il y a un chat roux qui dort sur le capot de ma voiture depuis ce matin.
There is a ginger cat sleeping on the hood of my car since this morning.
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a cat (female)
The specific feminine form for a female cat, constructed by doubling the final consonant and adding an 'e'. Note that in casual French slang, this word can have a vulgar double meaning, so speakers often opt for 'une femelle chat' if the context is ambiguous.
Ma grand-mère a adopté une jolie chatte tricolore à la SPA le mois dernier.
My grandmother adopted a pretty tricolor female cat from the animal shelter last month.
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the boy / the waiter
A masculine noun used to refer to a young male child or teenager. Historically, it was used to call over a waiter ('Garçon !'), though this is now considered outdated and somewhat rude in modern French restaurants.
Le petit garçon a fait tomber sa boule de glace sur le trottoir et s'est mis à pleurer.
The little boy dropped his scoop of ice cream on the sidewalk and started to cry.
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the girl / the daughter
A feminine noun that means either a young female child/woman or a daughter within a family. The pronunciation features a liquid 'll' sound ($[ ext{fij}]$) rather than a hard 'l'.
Leur fille aînée vient de décrocher un super poste de développeuse à Lyon.
Their eldest daughter just landed a great developer position in Lyon.
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a man
A masculine noun meaning a man. Because it begins with a silent 'h', it triggers a mandatory liaison sound ($[ ext{n}]$) when preceded by the indefinite article 'un'.
C'est un homme d'un certain âge avec une longue barbe poivre et sel.
He is a man of a certain age with a long pepper-and-salt beard.
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a woman / a wife
A feminine noun that serves a dual purpose in French, meaning both a woman and a wife depending on the grammatical context. Uniquely, the first 'e' in 'femme' is pronounced like a short 'a' ($[ ext{fam}]$).
Cette femme gère une petite startup très prometteuse dans la deep tech.
This woman manages a very promising little startup in deep tech.
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the teacher (generic/male)
A masculine noun used for a teacher or professor. Profession titles ending in '-eur' traditionally remained masculine regardless of the person's gender, but modern usage increasingly accepts feminization.
Le professeur de maths a reporté l'examen final de deux jours à cause de la grève.
The math teacher postponed the final exam by two days because of the strike.
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the teacher (female)
The modern feminine form of 'professeur', created by adding a silent 'e' at the end. While popular in everyday speech and official administrative settings, some traditionalists still prefer using the masculine form with a feminine article.
La professeure d'arts plastiques nous a fait travailler en plein air aujourd'hui.
The art teacher had us work outdoors today.
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a student (male)
A masculine noun used to describe a male student at the university or higher education level. The final 't' is completely silent in the singular form, but is pronounced in the plural with a liaison ('les étudiants').
En tant qu'étudiant boursier, il a droit à un tarif réduit sur tous les transports.
As a scholarship student, he is entitled to a reduced rate on all transport.
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a student (female)
The feminine form of 'étudiant', used for a female university-level student. Adding the final 'e' changes the pronunciation by triggering the sounding of the final 't'.
C'est une étudiante brillante qui prépare actuellement son master d'histoire ancienne.
She is a brilliant student who is currently preparing her master's degree in ancient history.
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the director / manager (male)
A masculine noun referring to a male director, manager, or principal. Nouns derived from verbs ending in '-teur' typically form their masculine with this suffix and change to '-trice' in the feminine form.
Le directeur de l'agence veut faire un point avec toute l'équipe demain à la première heure.
The agency manager wants to have a briefing with the whole team first thing tomorrow morning.
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the director / manager (female)
The feminine counterpart to 'le directeur', meaning a female manager or director. It requires the feminine article 'la' and takes the regular '-trice' suffix common to many agent nouns ending in '-teur'.
C'est la directrice de l'école qui a personnellement géré ce dossier d'inscription.
It was the school principal who personally handled this registration file.
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an actor (male)
A masculine noun meaning a male actor or a key player/participant in an event. It changes its suffix to '-trice' to form the feminine equivalent.
Le réalisateur cherche un acteur d'une trentaine d'années pour le rôle principal de son prochain film.
The director is looking for a male actor in his thirties for the leading role in his next movie.
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an actress
The feminine form of 'acteur', meaning a female performer in theater, film, or television. It follows the standard structural change from '-teur' to '-actrice'.
Cette actrice a reçu une standing ovation lors de la projection officielle à Cannes.
This actress received a standing ovation during the official screening at Cannes.
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the baker (male)
A masculine noun designating a male baker. Nouns ending in the suffix '-er' (with a silent 'r') form their feminine form by changing the ending to '-ère' and introducing an open grave accent.
Le boulanger du quartier prépare une excellente baguette de tradition.
The neighborhood baker makes an excellent traditional baguette.
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the baker (female)
The feminine form of 'boulanger', used for a female baker or often the woman managing a bakery. The addition of the grave accent on the 'e' changes the silent vowel into an open 'e' sound.
Passe dire bonjour à la boulangère et prends deux pains au chocolat au passage.
Go say hi to the bakery lady and pick up two chocolate pastries on the way.
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a nurse (male)
A masculine noun indicating a male nurse. It follows the common occupational suffix pattern of shifting from masculine '-ier' to feminine '-ière'.
Mon frère travaille comme infirmier de nuit dans le service des urgences.
My brother works as a night nurse in the emergency department.
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a nurse (female)
The feminine form of 'infirmier', denoting a female nurse. The phonetic transition to the feminine ending forces the final 'r' to be pronounced, unlike in the masculine form.
L'infirmière scolaire lui a donné un pansement et de quoi désinfecter sa coupure.
The school nurse gave him a bandage and something to disinfect his cut.
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the musician (male)
A masculine noun meaning a male musician. Nouns ending in '-ien' form their feminine counterparts by doubling the 'n' and adding an 'e' ('-ienne').
Ce musicien de jazz improvise de longs solos de saxophone absolument incroyables.
This jazz musician improvises absolutely incredible long saxophone solos.
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the musician (female)
The feminine form of 'musicien', meaning a female musician. The double 'n' changes the pronunciation of the suffix from a nasalized vowel to an open 'en' sound followed by a clear 'n' sound.
La jeune musicienne a accordé son violon avant d'entrer en scène pour le concerto.
The young musician tuned her violin before coming on stage for the concerto.
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a champion (male)
A masculine noun representing a male champion or titleholder. Nouns ending in the nasal suffix '-on' typically form their feminine counterpart by doubling the 'n' and adding an 'e' ('-onne').
Le jeune tennisman est devenu un champion incontesté après sa victoire éclatante hier soir.
The young tennis player became an undisputed champion after his brilliant victory last night.
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a champion (female)
The specific feminine form for a female champion. The doubling of the final 'n' opens the vowel sound, switching the masculine nasalized pronunciation into a clear, open oral vowel.
C'est une véritable championne d'échecs qui s'entraîne plus de six heures par jour.
She is a true chess champion who trains for more than six hours a day.
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the lion (male/generic)
A masculine noun referring to a male lion, or used broadly as the generic name for the animal species. It follows the regular double-n pattern to form its feminine equivalent.
Le lion s'est dressé fièrement sur le rocher pour surveiller la plaine.
The lion stood proudly on the rock to watch over the plain.
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the lioness
The feminine form of 'le lion', designating a female lion. In context, it is also frequently used metaphorically in French to describe a fierce, protective mother or woman.
Dans la savane, c'est la lionne qui s'occupe de la majeure partie de la chasse pour la troupe.
In the savannah, it is the lioness that handles most of the hunting for the pride.
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a twin (male)
A masculine noun meaning a male twin. Nouns ending in '-eau' have an irregular plural form that requires adding an 'x' instead of an 's' (des jumeaux), and they change drastically to '-elle' in the feminine singular.
Thomas a un frère jumeau, mais ils ne se ressemblent pas du tout physiquement.
Thomas has a twin brother, but they look nothing alike physically.
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a twin (female)
The feminine form of 'jumeau', meaning a female twin. When used in the plural form ('les jumelles'), this exact noun also translates to the object 'binoculars'.
Sa sœur jumelle habite à Montréal depuis qu'elle a commencé ses études de médecine.
Her twin sister has been living in Montreal since she started her medical studies.
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the widower
A masculine noun designating a man who has lost his spouse. Nouns ending in an active '-f' sound characteristically alter their terminal consonant to a '-ve' suffix to construct the feminine form.
Le vieux veuf continue de s'occuper du jardin fleuri que sa femme aimait tant.
The old widower continues to look after the flower garden that his wife loved so much.
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the widow
The feminine form of 'le veuf', meaning a woman whose spouse has died. The transition from the sharp 'f' to the soft 've' changes the voicing of the final syllable.
La veuve a fait don de toute la collection de livres de son mari à la bibliothèque locale.
The widow donated her husband's entire book collection to the local library.
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a spouse / husband
A formal masculine noun for a husband or male spouse. Nouns ending in a silent 'x' keep the exact same spelling in the plural form ('les époux'), but they change to an '-se' ending for the feminine form.
Le directeur de la banque est venu à la soirée accompagné de son époux.
The bank manager came to the party accompanied by his spouse.
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a spouse / wife
The feminine equivalent of 'époux', meaning a wife or female partner. While 'femme' is more common in everyday speech, 'épouse' is preferred in administrative, official, legal, or formal situations.
Son épouse vient de signer un contrat d'édition pour publier son tout premier roman.
His wife just signed a publishing contract to release her very first novel.
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the prince
A masculine noun referring to a prince or male royal. Nouns ending in '-ce' can be masculine or feminine, but 'prince' alters its structural suffix entirely to '-esse' to form its feminine equivalent.
Le jeune prince a prononcé son premier discours officiel devant l'assemblée ce matin.
The young prince delivered his first official speech before the assembly this morning.
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the princess
The feminine form of 'le prince', designating a princess. The conversion from a masculine noun ending in a silent '-e' to a feminine noun using the '-esse' suffix is a common pattern for titles of nobility.
La princesse est très engagée auprès de plusieurs associations humanitaires locales.
The princess is heavily involved with several local humanitarian organizations.
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a master / teacher (male)
A masculine noun meaning a master, an expert, a primary school teacher, or a legal professional (attorney). It changes its ending to '-esse' to build the feminine form.
Mon grand-père était un vieux maître artisan qui transmettait son savoir avec passion.
My grandfather was an old master craftsman who passed down his knowledge with passion.
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a mistress / teacher (female)
The feminine form of 'maître', meaning a female primary school teacher, an owner, or a romantic mistress. Context is vital, as calling an elementary teacher 'maîtresse' is standard and polite for young children.
La maîtresse a demandé aux enfants de sortir leurs cahiers de dessin.
The schoolteacher asked the children to take out their drawing notebooks.
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the count / earl
A masculine noble title meaning count. Homophonous with 'compte' (account) and 'conte' (tale), it explicitly takes the traditional '-esse' suffix to create its feminine equivalent.
Le vieux comte possédait un immense domaine viticole au cœur de la Bourgogne.
The old count owned a massive wine estate in the heart of Burgundy.
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the countess
The feminine counterpart to 'le comte', meaning a countess. It takes the feminine article 'la' and functions identically to other nobility modifications ending in '-esse'.
La comtesse a organisé un gala de charité pour restaurer la verrière du château.
The countess organized a charity gala to restore the castle's glass roof.
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a dancer (male)
A masculine agent noun designating a male dancer. Nouns derived directly from active French verbs (like 'danser') that end in '-eur' consistently transition to '-euse' in the feminine form.
Ce danseur hip-hop s'entraîne d'arrache-pied pour intégrer la troupe officielle.
This hip-hop dancer trains relentlessly to join the official troupe.
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a dancer (female)
The feminine form of 'danseur', meaning a female dancer. The phonetic transition replaces the closed masculine vowel sound with a soft, voiced 'z' sound before the final silent 'e'.
La danseuse étoile a salué le public sous les applaudissements nourris de l'Opéra.
The prima ballerina bowed to the audience amid roaring applause at the Opera.
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the singer (male)
A masculine noun representing a male singer. Like 'danseur', it stems from an action verb ('chanter') and utilizes the standard modern regular shift from masculine '-eur' to feminine '-euse'.
Le chanteur a dû interrompre sa tournée mondiale à cause d'une extinction de voix.
The singer had to cut his world tour short due to a loss of voice.
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the singer (female)
The feminine equivalent of 'chanteur', meaning a female singer. This noun matches the feminine definite article 'la' and features a fully pronounced terminal s-turned-z sound.
Une jeune chanteuse de rue a scotché tout le monde avec sa voix jazzy incroyable.
A young street singer blew everyone away with her incredible jazzy voice.
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a salesman / seller (male)
A masculine noun meaning a male sales clerk, vendor, or seller. Derived from the verb 'vendre' (to sell), it follows the standard pattern of active agent nouns ending in '-eur' that switch to '-euse' in the feminine.
Le vendeur m'a gentiment montré comment configurer l'appareil photo.
The salesman kindly showed me how to set up the camera.
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a saleswoman / seller (female)
The feminine form of 'vendeur', denoting a female shop assistant or seller. The terminal '-euse' ending replaces the masculine '-eur' and is pronounced with a voiced 'z' sound.
La vendeuse de la boutique m'a assuré que cette veste taillait un peu grand.
The saleswoman at the boutique assured me that this jacket ran a bit large.
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the secretary (male)
A masculine noun referring to a male secretary or administrative assistant. Because the noun ends in an unaccented '-e' in its base form, its spelling does not change across genders; only the modifying article indicates the sex.
Le secrétaire médical m'a rappelé pour confirmer mon rendez-vous de demain.
The male medical secretary called me back to confirm my appointment tomorrow.
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the secretary (female)
The feminine form of 'secrétaire', meaning a female administrative assistant. This word belongs to the category of epicenter nouns, meaning its spelling is identical to the masculine counterpart.
Je dois laisser mes coordonnées à la secrétaire avant d'entrer dans le bureau.
I need to leave my contact details with the secretary before entering the office.
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a tourist (male)
A masculine noun designating a male tourist or traveler. Like other nouns ending in the suffix '-iste', it is variable in gender depending on the article but structurally invariant in spelling.
Un touriste m'a arrêté en pleine rue pour me demander le chemin du métro.
A tourist stopped me right in the street to ask for directions to the metro.
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a tourist (female)
The feminine equivalent of 'touriste', meaning a female tourist. The spelling remains identical to the masculine form, requiring the indefinite feminine article 'une' to specify gender.
Une touriste cherchait à déchiffrer le plan de quartier devant l'arrêt de bus.
A female tourist was trying to decipher the neighborhood map in front of the bus stop.
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the journalist (male)
A masculine noun used for a male journalist or reporter. It belongs to the group of occupations ending in '-iste' where gender is exclusively communicated through determiners like 'le' or 'un'.
Le journaliste a posé des questions très directes lors de la conférence de presse.
The journalist asked very direct questions during the press conference.
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the journalist (female)
The feminine counterpart to 'le journaliste', meaning a female reporter. The written word uses the exact same spelling as the masculine, adapting only via the feminine definite article 'la'.
La journaliste a mené une enquête passionnante sur les dérives des réseaux sociaux.
The journalist conducted a fascinating investigation into the excesses of social networks.
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the notebooks
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le cahier', meaning the notebooks. In French, most regular nouns form their plural by appending a silent '-s' to the singular base, with plurality signaled by the article 'les'.
N'oubliez pas de ranger les cahiers d'exercices dans vos sacs avant de partir.
Don't forget to pack the exercise notebooks into your bags before leaving.
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the tables
The plural form of the feminine noun 'la table', meaning the tables. It follows the standard pluralization rule of adding a silent terminal '-s', which does not change the spoken pronunciation of the core noun.
Les serveurs sont en train de dresser les tables en terrasse pour le service du soir.
The waiters are setting the tables on the terrace for the evening service.
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the pens
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le stylo'. It follows the general regular rule of French pluralization by adding a silent terminal '-s' to the singular form.
J'ai acheté un lot de stylos quatre couleurs pour le bureau.
I bought a pack of four-color pens for the office.
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the chairs
The plural form of the feminine noun 'la chaise'. Like most standard nouns, it adds a silent '-s' to indicate plurality, which is vocally distinguished only by the plural article 'les'.
On doit rajouter des chaises autour de la table pour la réunion de cet après-midi.
We need to add some chairs around the table for this afternoon's meeting.
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the noses
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le nez'. Nouns that already end in '-z' in the singular form do not change their spelling or suffix in the plural.
Avec cette épidémie de rhume, tous les enfants ont les nez rouges et irrités.
With this cold outbreak, all the kids have red and irritated noses.
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the voices
The plural form of the feminine noun 'la voix'. Nouns that naturally end in an '-x' in the singular form are invariable, meaning their spelling remains completely identical in the plural.
On entendait des voix étouffées qui provenaient de l'appartement d'à côté.
We could hear muffled voices coming from the apartment next door.
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the prices / awards
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le prix'. Because the singular base ends in an '-x', it remains spelling-invariant in the plural, whether referring to financial costs or competitive accolades.
Les prix de l'immobilier ont flambé dans ce quartier en moins de deux ans.
Property prices have skyrocketed in this neighborhood in less than two years.
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the choices
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le choix'. It follows the rule of invariability for singular nouns ending in '-x', leaving the determiner 'les' or 'des' to establish the plural context.
Face à cette situation délicate, tu as plusieurs choix qui s'offrent à toi.
Faced with this delicate situation, you have several choices available to you.
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the rugs / carpets
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le tapis'. French nouns ending in a silent '-s' in their singular form do not add another letter or undergo any change when pluralized.
Ils ont enlevé tous les tapis du salon pour faire poncer le parquet.
They removed all the rugs from the living room to have the hardwood floor sanded.
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the mice / computer mice
The plural form of the feminine noun 'la souris'. Ending in an '-s' in the singular, its spelling is completely invariable in the plural for both biological rodents and technology hardware accessories.
Les vieux greniers attirent souvent les souris à l'approche de l'hiver.
Old attics often attract mice when winter approaches.
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the buses
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le bus' (shortened from autobus). Since the singular form contains a terminal '-s' that is fully pronounced, the spelling remains unchanged in the plural.
À cause de la grève, la fréquence des bus a été divisée par deux aujourd'hui.
Because of the strike, the frequency of the buses was cut in half today.
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the countries
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le pays'. It is completely invariable in spelling due to its singular '-s' ending, though a spoken plural is sometimes distinguished via phonetic liaison.
Ce traité commercial a été signé par la majorité des pays de l'Union européenne.
This trade treaty was signed by the majority of European Union countries.
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the gases
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le gaz'. Because its singular form already ends in a terminal '-z', it remains completely invariable in spelling when pluralized.
Les experts analysent les gaz d'échappement pour mesurer la pollution en centre-ville.
Experts are analyzing exhaust gases to measure pollution in the city center.
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the hats
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le chapeau'. French nouns ending in the vowel combination '-eau' form their plural by appending a silent '-x' instead of the standard '-s'.
Regarde les chapeaux originaux que les invités portent pour le mariage.
Look at the quirky hats the guests are wearing for the wedding.
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the boats
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le bateau'. It follows the irregular pluralization rule where words ending in '-eau' take a silent terminal '-x' to signify the plural state.
À cause de la tempête, tous les bateaux sont restés amarrés au port ce matin.
Because of the storm, all the boats remained moored at the harbor this morning.
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the castles / châteaux
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le château'. Like other words in the '-eau' suffix family, its plural is strictly marked with a terminal '-x' in written French.
La vallée de la Loire est mondialement connue pour ses magnifiques châteaux de la Renaissance.
The Loire Valley is world-famous for its magnificent Renaissance châteaux.
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the coats
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le manteau'. It requires an '-x' at the end to form its plural, though the vocal pronunciation of the word remains identical to the singular form.
Il fait tellement froid dehors qu'on a dû ressortir nos gros manteaux d'hiver.
It is so cold outside that we had to bring back out our heavy winter coats.
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the gifts / presents
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le cadeau'. It features the classic irregular '-eau' plural mapping, appending an '-x' which is hidden in speech but mandatory in spelling.
Les enfants trépignent d'impatience à l'idée d'ouvrir leurs cadeaux d'anniversaire.
The children are bursting with impatience at the thought of opening their birthday presents.
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the hair
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le cheveu'. Nouns ending in '-eu' regularly form their plural by adding an '-x'; note that French uses the plural 'les cheveux' where English uses the singular mass noun 'hair'.
Elle a décidé de se couper les cheveux très court pour changer de tête.
She decided to cut her hair very short for a completely new look.
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the fires / traffic lights
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le feu'. It appends a terminal '-x' for pluralization, and in daily urban life, 'les feux' commonly refers directly to city traffic lights.
Si les feux ne fonctionnent plus, c'est la règle de la priorité à droite qui s'applique.
If the traffic lights are no longer working, the priority-to-the-right rule applies.
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the games
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le jeu'. It patterns with other '-eu' ending words by utilizing a terminal '-x' to reflect plurality in written contexts.
On adore sortir des jeux de société quand on passe la soirée entre amis.
We love pulling out board games when we spend the evening with friends.
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the wishes / vows
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le vœu'. It transitions to the plural by taking an '-x' after the '-eu' vowel structure, and is widely used for New Year wishes or wedding vows.
La mariée a été très émue en écoutant les vœux de son futur époux.
The bride was very moved listening to her future husband's vows.
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the nephews
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le neveu'. Following the regular pattern for nouns ending in '-eu', it forms its plural by adding a silent terminal '-x'.
Mes neveux adorent venir passer les vacances d'été chez moi pour aller à la plage.
My nephews love coming to spend the summer holidays at my place to go to the beach.
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the paintings / boards
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le tableau'. It follows the irregular pluralization rule for words ending in '-eau', requiring a silent terminal '-x' in written French.
Le musée a restauré plusieurs tableaux de maîtres du dix-neuvième siècle pour cette exposition.
The museum restored several nineteenth-century master paintings for this exhibition.
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the pipes / tips
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le tuyau'. Nouns ending in '-au' create their plural form by adding a silent '-x'; colloquially, 'les tuyaux' can also mean 'insider tips' or 'hints'.
Le plombier a dû remplacer tous les tuyaux en cuivre de la salle de bains à cause d'une fuite.
The plumber had to replace all the copper pipes in the bathroom because of a leak.
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the pits / stones / cores
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le noyau'. It takes a terminal '-x' in the plural and refers to the hard stones found inside fruits like cherries, plums, or olives, as well as scientific cores.
Ne jetez pas les noyaux de cerises, on peut s'en servir pour fabriquer des bouillottes sèches.
Don't throw away cherry pits; they can be used to make dry hot-water bottles.
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the newspapers / diaries
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le journal'. Most French nouns ending in '-al' undergo a morphophonological shift, changing their suffix to '-aux' ($[ ext{o}]$) in the plural.
Mon grand-père passe tous ses dimanches matins à feuilleter les journaux locaux au café.
My grandfather spends all his Sunday mornings leafing through local newspapers at the café.
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the horses
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le cheval'. It displays the classic, highly visible '-al' to '-aux' irregular plural transformation, changing both spelling and vocalization.
On a vu un magnifique troupeau de chevaux sauvages galoper en liberté dans la plaine.
We saw a magnificent herd of wild horses galloping freely across the plain.
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the animals
The plural form of the masculine noun 'l'animal'. It follows the standard structural change from an '-al' singular base to the open oral vowel sound of the '-aux' plural suffix.
Il est strictement interdit de nourrir les animaux du zoo, c'est mauvais pour leur santé.
It is strictly forbidden to feed the zoo animals; it is bad for their health.
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the hospitals
The plural form of the masculine noun 'l'hôpital'. Because the singular starts with a silent 'h', the plural form triggers a distinct, audible 'z' liaison sound when following 'les' ($[ ext{lezopito}]$).
Le gouvernement a débloqué des fonds pour moderniser les hôpitaux de la région.
The government unlocked funding to modernize the region's hospitals.
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the generals
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le général'. It undergoes the regular '-al' to '-aux' transformation for agent titles and high-ranking military officers.
Les généraux de l'armée se sont réunis d'urgence pour débriefer de la situation stratégique.
The army generals met urgently to debrief on the strategic situation.
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the jars
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le bocal'. It maps to the '-aux' plural pattern, and typically refers to glass storage or preserving jars used in kitchens.
Elle conserve toutes ses épices et ses légumes secs dans des bocaux en verre hermétiques.
She keeps all her spices and dried vegetables in airtight glass jars.
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the canals / channels
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le canal'. It follows the regular pattern for nouns ending in '-al', changing the ending to '-aux' to signify the plural form.
La ville de Venise est célèbre pour ses canaux romantiques empruntés par les gondoles.
The city of Venice is famous for its romantic canals traveled by gondolas.
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the works / construction
The highly irregular plural form of the masculine noun 'le travail' (work). Nouns ending in '-ail' usually take a regular '-s', but 'travail' belongs to a small group of strict exceptions that shift to '-aux'.
Les travaux sur l'autoroute vont perturber la circulation pendant tout le week-end.
The roadworks on the highway will disrupt traffic all weekend long.
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the stained-glass windows
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le vitrail'. Like 'travail', it is an irregular exception to the standard '-ail' suffix rule, changing its entire ending to '-aux' in the plural.
Les rayons de soleil traversent les vitraux de la cathédrale, créant des reflets magnifiques.
The sunbeams pass through the cathedral's stained-glass windows, creating magnificent reflections.
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the corals
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le corail'. It is another classic exception among nouns ending in '-ail', shifting to '-aux' in the plural to describe marine coral structures.
Le réchauffement climatique menace gravement la survie des coraux dans cette barrière de corail.
Global warming seriously threatens the survival of the corals in this coral reef.
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the enamels
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le vitrail' or 'l'émail' (enamel). It transforms into '-aux' in the plural and is commonly used to describe decorative glazed artworks or dental properties.
Ce collectionneur d'art recherche principalement des émaux anciens du Moyen Âge.
This art collector primarily looks for ancient enamels from the Middle Ages.
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the jewelry / jewels
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le bijou'. It is one of the seven famous French nouns ending in '-ou' that require an '-x' instead of an '-s' to form their plural.
Elle range toujours ses bijoux de valeur dans un petit coffre dissimulé dans l'armoire.
She always keeps her valuable jewelry in a small safe hidden in the closet.
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the stones / pebbles
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le caillou'. It belongs to the exclusive list of grammatical exceptions ending in '-ou' that form their plural with a silent written '-x'.
Les enfants adorent jeter des petits cailloux dans l'eau pour faire des ricochets.
The children love throwing small pebbles into the water to skip stones.
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the cabbages / cream puffs
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le chou'. This noun takes an '-x' in the plural and can refer to the leafy green vegetable or the traditional French pastry shells ('choux à la crème').
Le pâtissier est en train de remplir les choux de crème pâtissière à la vanille.
The pastry chef is filling the cream puffs with vanilla pastry cream.
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the knees
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le genou'. It is one of the foundational seven '-ou' nouns that take an '-x' in the plural rather than a standard regular '-s'.
Après sa chute en VTT, il est rentré à la maison avec les genoux complètement écorchés.
After his mountain bike crash, he came home with completely scraped knees.
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the owls
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le hibou'. It wraps up the primary grammatical list of '-ou' exceptions, requiring a silent written '-x' to signify more than one owl.
On peut entendre le miaulement ou le hululement des hiboux dès que la nuit tombe.
You can hear the hooting of the owls as soon as night falls.
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the toys / playthings
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le joujou'. It is a slightly old-fashioned or affectionate, child-like term for a toy, and it stands as one of the seven specific nouns ending in '-ou' that require a silent written '-x' in the plural.
Range tes joujoux dans le grand coffre en bois avant d'aller te coucher.
Put your toys away in the big wooden chest before going to bed.
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the lice
The plural form of the masculine noun 'le pou'. This noun completes the classic grammatical list of seven '-ou' exceptions taking a terminal '-x' in written French, and it typically refers to head lice found in school environments.
Il y a une alerte aux poux à l'école primaire, il va falloir vérifier la tête des enfants.
There is a head lice warning at the elementary school; we are going to have to check the kids' heads.