Many English nouns ending in -itude come from Latin or French. Often the spelling stays the same and only the pronunciation changes. All French nouns ending in -itude are feminine. Examples: Some English nouns ending in -itude do not match French nouns with the same spelling. These are mismatches or rare forms. Partial list of…
Most French nouns that end in the letters -me are masculine. This holds true even though the final e is silent. The pattern applies to common words and more technical terms alike. Examples of masculine -me nouns: Exceptions exist. Some -me nouns are feminine. These are few but common enough to know. Feminine -me nouns:…
Many English nouns ending in -ism correspond directly to French nouns ending in -isme. This is one of the most stable and predictable conversion patterns between English and French. The words are usually shared international terms, often built on Greek or Latin roots that entered both languages through scholarly, political, or scientific use. Examples such…
Many English nouns ending in -ncy (usually -ancy or –ency) have close French matches ending in -ance or -ence. All French nouns ending in -ence or -ance are feminine. This is a useful pattern and can help with reading and building French words. In many cases, English -ncy and French -nce come from the same…
Many French nouns ending in -té match English nouns ending in -ty. Both often come from the same Latin source. The French form usually kept -té, while English often changed it into -ty. Because of this shared history, many pairs look and sound alike and have close meanings. Examples include: This pattern is very common…
Many English adjectives ending in -al have close French matches ending in -al or -el. This is a useful pattern because both languages inherited many of these words from Latin. In many cases, the English and French forms are almost the same, with only small spelling shifts. Examples such as normal → normal and natural…
There are several French words for “people,” including personne, gens, peuple, monde, âme, populations, public and individu. personne Personne means a single person. It is feminine even for a man. It often follows une (a) or la (the). It can be used with an adjective after it. Examples: Personne alone can also mean “nobody,” but…
The English noun dissatisfaction can be translated into French in several ways, depending on context. The most common translations are insatisfaction, mécontentement, and déception. Each carries a slightly different feel, but all relate to a sense of unhappiness or displeasure. Insatisfaction Insatisfaction is a direct translation of dissatisfaction and is used in formal or neutral…
French feminine nouns ending in eur are a different group from the masculine ones. They almost never come from English words for people or machines. Instead, they are words for qualities, feelings, or abstract ideas. The English cousins of these words often end in -or (like color, horror) but sometimes in -ness or other endings….
French nouns ending in eur often come from English words ending in er or or. This happens when the words are for jobs, machines, or people who do something. French takes the English word and changes the ending to match its own way of spelling and saying things. The gender is almost always masculine. Here…