Let's Listen
Knowing how to recognize the gender of French nouns when you read and write them is important. But it’s equally important to understand them when you speak and listen-- you want to be able to have a conversation, after all! To be understood by French speakers, you need to understand how gender changes the sound of different nouns. Listen to each of these nouns in their feminine and masculine forms. Repeat each set of words after you hear it.
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| Le | La |
| L’ami | L’amie |
| L’étudiant | L’étudiante |
| Le garçon | La fille |
| L’homme | La femme |
To understand French when you hear it spoken, you need to practice often. Click the audio button for each item in the following activity and select the article you hear.
Which one?
Listen again-- ami starts with a vowel so it takes l’.
Listen again-- ami starts with a vowel so it takes l’.
Listen again-- ami starts with a vowel so it takes l’.
Even though personne can refer to a person of any gender, the noun is feminine and takes la.
Even though personne can refer to a person of any gender, the noun is feminine and takes la.
Even though personne can refer to a person of any gender, the noun is feminine and takes la.
You got # out of # correct. Click the Retry button for another attempt.
You got a perfect score. Great job!
