Feminine Nouns
Most feminine nouns end in -a or -ė: knyga (book), gatvė (street). A smaller group ends in -is, like naktis (night), and sesuo (sister) ends in -uo. Adjectives take a feminine ending: nauja knyga.
How It Works
Feminine dictionary endings
- -a: knyga (book), mokykla (school), mama (mom), Lietuva (Lithuania).
- -ia: vyšnia (cherry), pradžia (beginning).
- -ė: gatvė (street), upė (river), kavinė (café), parduotuvė (shop).
- -is (genitive -ies): naktis (night), akis (eye), širdis (heart), pilis (castle).
- -uo and -ė with -er-: sesuo (sister) and duktė (daughter), whose other forms add -er-: sesers, dukters.
What changes with the noun
Adjectives take feminine endings: nauja knyga (a new book), ilga gatvė (a long street), šalta naktis (a cold night). The pronoun for a feminine noun is ji (she, it), and ši and ta mean this and that. See Adjective Agreement.
Telling -is nouns apart
The ending -is alone does not show gender. Naktis is feminine, but brolis (brother) is masculine. A dictionary gives the genitive: feminine -is nouns usually have -ies (naktis, nakties), while masculine ones usually have -io (brolis, brolio). Learn these nouns together with an adjective, such as tamsi naktis (a dark night).
A few nouns in -a or -ė name men and are masculine, such as dėdė (uncle); see Masculine Nouns.
Examples (6)
- Tai nauja knyga.
This is a new book.
Word by Word: This new book.
Knyga ends in -a, so the adjective is feminine nauja.
- Ši gatvė labai ilga.
This street is very long.
Word by Word: This street very long.
Gatvė is feminine, so both ši and ilga are feminine.
- Naktis buvo šalta.
The night was cold.
Word by Word: Night was cold.
Naktis ends in -is but is feminine, so the adjective is šalta.
- Mano sesuo gyvena Vilniuje.
My sister lives in Vilnius.
Word by Word: My sister lives in-Vilnius.
- Kur mano knyga? Ji ant stalo.
Where is my book? It is on the table.
Word by Word: Where my book? She on table.
A feminine thing is called ji, the same word as she.
- Jos akys mėlynos.
Her eyes are blue.
Word by Word: Her eyes blue.
Akis (eye) is feminine, so the plural adjective is feminine mėlynos.
Common Mistakes
Treating a feminine -is noun as masculine.
Naktis buvo šaltas.Naktis buvo šalta.Naktis looks like masculine brolis, but it is feminine (genitive nakties). Use the feminine adjective šalta.
Calling a feminine thing jis, as if English "it" were always masculine.
Kur mano knyga? Jis ant stalo.Kur mano knyga? Ji ant stalo.Knyga is feminine, so the pronoun that replaces it is ji.
Using a masculine adjective with sesuo because it ends in -uo.
Mano sesuo yra aukštas.Mano sesuo yra aukšta.Sesuo means sister and is feminine, so the adjective takes the feminine ending: aukšta.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Feminine nouns apply the general gender distinction.
Related Patterns
- Masculine Nouns
The masculine counterpart, including the masculine -is nouns that look like naktis.
Level 1 - Adjective Agreement
Feminine nouns take feminine adjectives, as in nauja knyga.
Level 1 - Second Declension: -a, -ėThe Second Declension
Feminine nouns in -a and -ė follow the second declension.
Level 2 - Third Declension: -is, -iesThe Third Declension
Feminine -is nouns such as naktis and akis follow the third declension.
Level 3 - Male and Female Person Nouns
Many feminine person nouns are made from masculine ones, like studentė from studentas.
Level 1
Practice Feminine Nouns in Bubblegum
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