Masculine Nouns

Level 1

A final consonant or -e usually means a masculine noun, but several common nouns are exceptions.

How It Works

Most masculine nouns end in a consonant or in -e.

MasculineMeaning
lo panthe bread
lo vinthe wine
lo librethe book
lo frairethe brother
lo vèsprethe evening

Some common nouns break the rule and are feminine:

  • after a consonant: la man (the hand), la nuèch (the night), la flor (the flower), la paur (the fear), la fam (the hunger);
  • after an -e: la maire (the mother), la sòrre (the sister).

Nouns in -tat are feminine too: la ciutat (the city). A later entry gives that ending.

Examples (5)

  1. lo pan

    the bread

    Pan ends in a consonant, so it is masculine.

  2. lo libre

    the book

    Libre ends in -e, so it is masculine.

  3. lo fraire

    the brother

    Fraire ends in -e, so it is masculine.

  4. la man

    the hand

    An exception: man ends in a consonant but takes la.

  5. la maire

    the mother

    An exception: maire ends in -e but takes la.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Masculine NounsLevel 1

Learn This First

Nouns in a consonant or -e are a rule of thumb for masculine nouns, so the idea that every noun has a gender comes first.