y0001_

[rose crest]

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.

[modest heron]

Because robe and chemise are given the grammatical feminine gender. No real logic behind noun gendering.

[agile frost]

can i use un for robe and chemise

[modest heron]

No.

Because un is masculine.

[agile frost]

how about manteau

un or une

[modest heron]

Un manteau.

[agile frost]

thats tough to remember

[hasty moon]

if you check dictionaries, you can see "nf" or "nm" written next to the words, it is indicative of their gender (sometimes written differently)

each noun in French has a gender, and you have to learn it as you learn the noun, it's part of learning vocabulary

[dry grove]

nm = noun, maculine
nf = noun, feminine

[hasty moon]

don't learn "book => livre" but rather "a book => un livre" (un shows the noun is masculine)

[hasty moon]

thanks I forgot lol

[agile frost]

that just for robe, chemist and mantaneau, but how about others? like spoon, car, shampoo, pen, book, chair, house, bla bla bla

[hasty moon]

each has their gender you need to learn on a case by case basis

it is part of the word

[agile frost]

so i have to memorize it all?

[hasty moon]

basically

[agile frost]

jesus

thanks

[hasty moon]

there are some patterns, but they are tendencies and not rules
learning about 100 patterns can get you around 85% accuracy, but even that isn't good
the actual rule is on a case by case basis

[agile frost]

why they use vous for you instead of tu

[hasty moon]

French has two ways of saying "you" as subject: tu and vous

[agile frost]

when we use tu, when vous

[hasty moon]

tu is used for when speaking to a single person without special respect
vous is used in two cases: when speaking to multiple people, and when speaking to a single person with respect

that doesn't mean using "vous" is always good. It conveys distance and can be pretty cold. tu is friendlier
But in a professional context for instance, vous is the default

[agile frost]

oh

[coarse olive]

[mortal badge]

;start

;begin