bln_c

[tropic sphinx]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[limber ember]

You learn their gender on a case-by-case basis. While endings can indicate gender, they are more like guidelines than hard rules.

[zealous widget]

"au" is just the contraction of "à le"

[limber ember]

Yep, and the feminine equivalent is "à la", not just "à".

[gleaming sierra]

thanks sm

[pliant oxide]

As Nameless said, it's fundamentally a question of memorization

You should avoid learning things like "tree = arbre" and instead learn the word with the indefinite article which indicates the gender:

• a tree = un arbre
• a scarf = une écharpe
• an ant = une fourmi
  and so on

[indigo furnace]

I mean there are a few telling noun endings that might help you out (-elle, -ion, -ée are mostly feminine, -isme or -ment is usually masculine), but there are so many exceptions you might as well learn them through sheer exposure to the language.