A noun is a word that names a person, place, thing, or idea. English nouns include words such as teacher, city, book, and freedom.
French nouns serve the same purpose, but they also have grammatical gender and number. Their form and the words around them can change depending on whether the noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and how it is used in a sentence.
Noun types
Nouns can name people, places, objects, ideas, and other things we talk about. French nouns can name people, places, objects, and ideas:
| French | English | Type |
|---|---|---|
| un professeur | a teacher | person |
| une ville | a city | place |
| un livre | a book | object |
| la liberté | freedom | idea |
Nouns can also be common or proper. A common noun names a general person, place, or thing, while a proper noun identifies a particular one.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une ville | a city |
| Paris | Paris |
| une femme | a woman |
| Marie | Marie |
Proper nouns such as Paris and Marie normally begin with a capital letter. Common nouns are not capitalized unless they begin a sentence.
Grammatical gender and number
French nouns are either masculine or feminine:
| Masculine | Feminine |
|---|---|
| un livre | une table |
| le jardin | la maison |
| un frère | une sœur |
Grammatical gender does not always describe biological sex. Objects and ideas also have a gender in French.
Nouns can also be singular or plural:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| un livre | des livres | a book / books |
| une table | des tables | a table / tables |
| la maison | les maisons | the house / the houses |
Many nouns form the plural by adding -s, although some nouns follow other plural patterns. Gender and number affect articles, adjectives, and other words used with the noun.
For information on definite and indefinite articles, see Articles.
Countability and quantity
Some nouns refer to things that can be counted individually. Others refer to substances, materials, or ideas that are usually treated as an amount rather than as separate items.
Countable nouns can be used with numbers:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un livre | one book |
| deux livres | two books |
| trois pommes | three apples |
Other nouns are commonly expressed as a quantity:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| de l'eau | water |
| du riz | rice |
| du temps | time |
The way a noun is understood as countable or uncountable affects the articles and quantity expressions used with it. For more information on expressing quantity, see Nouns and quantity.
Some nouns can be used in either way depending on their meaning. For example, du café refers to an amount of coffee, while deux cafés can mean two coffees or two servings of coffee.
Grammatical functions
A noun can have different roles in a sentence. Its role depends on how it relates to the verb and the other words around it.
The subject tells who or what the sentence is about. It often performs the action of the verb:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Paul travaille. | Paul works. |
| Le chien dort. | The dog sleeps. |
An object comes after a verb and identifies the person or thing affected by the action:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Marie lit un livre. | Marie reads a book. |
| Paul regarde le film. | Paul watches the film. |
A noun can also follow a preposition such as à, avec, or dans. The noun completes the prepositional phrase by identifying a place, person, thing, or other relationship:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| à Paris | in Paris |
| avec Marie | with Marie |
| dans la maison | in the house |
The noun itself does not normally change form when its grammatical function changes. Its role is usually shown by its position in the sentence and by the words around it.
Noun phrases
A noun often appears together with other words that give more information about it. This group of words is called a noun phrase.
A noun phrase can contain an article and a noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| le livre | the book |
| une maison | a house |
| les enfants | the children |
It can also include adjectives, numbers, or other information:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une petite maison | a small house |
| un livre intéressant | an interesting book |
| les trois enfants | the three children |
The noun is the central word in the phrase. Articles, adjectives, numbers, and other words add information about which noun is meant, how many there are, or what it is like.
Understanding the noun also helps determine the form and position of the other words in the noun phrase.
From learning to practice
When reading or listening to French, notice the nouns and the words that appear around them. Pay attention to whether a noun is masculine or feminine, singular or plural, and whether it refers to something countable or to an amount.
Practice identifying nouns in short sentences and grouping them with their articles, adjectives, numbers, and other modifiers. Recognizing the structure of a noun phrase will make it easier to understand how nouns function in French sentences.