Is « animal » masculine or feminine?
« animal » is masculine. You say l'animal.
Article forms
| With the definite article | l'animal |
| With the indefinite article | un animal |
| With the partitive article | de l'animal |
Plural
The plural is animaux (les animaux). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.
Why the gender
animal ends in
-al. Nouns ending in
-al are usually masculine,
so animal 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 « animal » masculine or feminine?
« animal » is masculine. You say l'animal.
« l'animal » hides the gender. Is « animal » masculine or feminine?
It is masculine. The article shortens to « l'animal » for both genders, but you say un animal, not une animal, and adjectives take the masculine form.
Check another word, or read the complete guide to French noun gender.