English has many words that end in “em,” like problem, system, and poem, and most of them come from French. The French versions end in “ème” instead, so problem becomes le problème, system becomes le système, and poem becomes le poème. The pattern is simple: you just change the “em” at the end to “ème.” These words are almost all masculine in French, so they take “le” as their article. Here are the most common ones with an example of how to use each.

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Words that follow the rule

For these words, you change the ending “em” to “ème.”

Apothem becomes l’apothème

On calcule l’apothème du polygone.
“We calculate the apothem of the polygon.”

Diadem becomes le diadème

La reine porte un diadème.
“The queen wears a diadem.”

Emblem becomes l’emblème

La rose est l’emblème de l’Angleterre.
“The rose is the emblem of England.”

Poem becomes le poème

Elle lit un poème à ses élèves.
“She reads a poem to her students.”

Problem becomes le problème

Nous avons un problème avec la voiture.
“We have a problem with the car.”

System becomes le système

Le système solaire compte huit planètes.
“The solar system has eight planets.”

Theorem becomes le théorème

Il a prouvé le théorème de Pythagore.
“He proved the Pythagorean theorem.”

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Summary

Most English words ending in “em” become French words ending in “ème,” and the meaning stays the same. These words are almost always masculine, so they take “le” or “l'” as their article. Learning this pattern helps you guess many French words from English without needing a dictionary.