Gender and agreement
In French, every noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives must change to match — a rule with no real equivalent in English.
Part of your national curriculum
- Grammar and vocabulary: Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language
Lesson overview
What you'll learn in this lesson
Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language
Key learning points
- • Masculine and feminine nouns
- • Adjective agreement
- • Word order
This lesson at a glance
- 20 minutes
- 17 parts to scroll through
- 3 quick checks
- Marked quiz at the end
- Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses
Words to know
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Part 1 of 17
Visual introductionPicture this
Gender and agreement
In French, every noun is either masculine or feminine, and adjectives must change to match — a rule with no real equivalent in English.
In a nutshell
Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language
Learning cycle
Part 2 of 17
Learning cycle 1 of 2
Part 1 · Masculine and feminine nouns
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 3 of 17
Learn
Masculine and feminine nouns
Every French noun has a gender: 'le chat' (the cat, masculine), 'la table' (the table, feminine). Gender is not usually about meaning — it must be learned alongside the word, though endings can give clues (words ending in -e are often feminine, though there are many exceptions).
Reset break
Part 4 of 17
Pause
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Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Explore the idea
Part 5 of 17
Learn
Adjective agreement
Adjectives change their spelling to agree with the noun's gender and number: 'un grand chien' (a big dog, masculine) but 'une grande maison' (a big house, feminine) — note the extra -e. For plurals, an -s is usually added: 'des grands chiens' (big dogs).
Quick check
Part 6 of 17
Quick check
Part 7 of 17
Reset break
Part 8 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 2 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Learning cycle
Part 9 of 17
Learning cycle 2 of 2
Part 2 · Word order
A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.
Explore the idea
Part 10 of 17
Learn
Word order
Most French adjectives come after the noun, unlike English: 'une voiture rouge' (a red car), not 'rouge voiture'. However, a small set of common adjectives — including beauty, age, goodness and size (BAGS), such as 'grand', 'petit', 'joli' and 'beau' — come before the noun.
Quick check
Part 11 of 17
Reset break
Part 12 of 17
Pause
That's sitting 3 of 4 done
Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.
Challenge round
Part 13 of 17
Game · Sort it
Which of these are true?
Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.
True
Not true
Challenge round
Part 14 of 17
Game · Fill the gaps
Finish the sentences
Choose the word that belongs in each gap.
Every French noun has a ____: 'le chat' (the cat, masculine), 'la table' (the table, feminine).
Adjectives change their ____ to agree with the noun's gender and number: 'un grand chien' (a big dog, masculine) but 'une grande maison' (a big house, feminine) — note the extra -e.
Challenge round
Part 15 of 17
Game · Recall cards
Complete: 'Ma sœur est ___.' (sporty)
Card 1 of 4
Mastery quiz
Part 16 of 17
Marked quiz
End of lesson quiz: Gender and agreement
4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.
1. Complete: 'Ma sœur est ___.' (sporty)
2. What does French add to most adjectives to make them feminine?
3. Where do most French adjectives sit in a sentence?
4. Which is correctly agreed for 'une maison' (feminine)?
Lesson round-up
Part 17 of 17
Lesson round-up
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Use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation, including gender, agreement and word order as appropriate to the language