Is « abeille » masculine or feminine?

« abeille » is feminine. You say l'abeille.

Article forms

With the definite article l'abeille
With the indefinite article une abeille
With the partitive article de l'abeille

Plural

The plural is abeilles (les abeilles). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.

Why the gender

abeille ends in -eille. Nouns ending in -eille are usually feminine, so abeille follows the pattern. The full rules by ending cover every common suffix.

Related words

Other common nouns that end the same way:

Common questions

Is « abeille » masculine or feminine?

« abeille » is feminine. You say l'abeille.

« l'abeille » hides the gender. Is « abeille » masculine or feminine?

It is feminine. The article shortens to « l'abeille » for both genders, but you say une abeille, not un abeille, and adjectives take the feminine form.


Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.