Feminine Noun Endings: -tion, -sion, -té, -ure
These suffixes almost always signal a feminine noun
Category: Gendered Nouns
The Rule
Nouns ending in -tion, -sion, -té, -ure, -ence, -ance, -ie, -ée are almost always feminine.
Why This Matters
English speakers have a huge advantage here: thousands of English words ending in -tion/-sion come from French. In French, these are virtually always feminine. Recognizing these patterns lets you correctly guess the gender of new words without memorizing each one.
Examples
• La situation est compliquée. — "The situation is complicated." [-tion ending → feminine] • La décision est finale. — "The decision is final." [-sion ending → feminine] • La liberté est importante. — "Freedom is important." [-té ending → feminine] • La nature est belle. — "Nature is beautiful." [-ure ending → feminine] • La différence est claire. — "The difference is clear." [-ence ending → feminine]
Common Mistakes
❌ Le nation est grand. ✅ La nation est grande. → -tion endings are feminine. Use la and the feminine adjective grande. ❌ Le température est haut. ✅ La température est haute. → Température ends in -ure, making it feminine.
Quick Tip
If an English word ends in -tion or -sion and has a French cognate, that French word is almost certainly feminine.
If an English word ends in -tion or -sion and has a French cognate, that French word is almost certainly feminine.
Examples
Common Mistakes
Incorrect: Le nation est grand. → Correct: La nation est grande.. -tion endings are feminine. Use la and the feminine adjective grande.
Incorrect: Le température est haut. → Correct: La température est haute.. Température ends in -ure, making it feminine.
Quiz
What gender is the noun 'révolution'?