Is « cavalier » masculine or feminine?

« cavalier » works as both masculine and feminine. You will see un cavalier and une cavalier, with the article carrying the meaning or agreeing with the person described.

Article forms

With the definite article le cavalier / la cavalier
With the indefinite article un cavalier / une cavalier
With the partitive article du cavalier / de la cavalier

Plural

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

Why the gender

cavalier ends in -ier. Nouns ending in -ier are usually masculine, though cavalier works as either gender. The full rules by ending cover every common suffix.

Related words

Other common nouns that end the same way:

Common questions

Is « cavalier » masculine or feminine?

« cavalier » works as both. You will see un cavalier and une cavalier, with the article carrying the meaning or agreeing with the person being described.

Is it « un cavalier » or « une cavalier »?

Both are correct. Use the masculine or the feminine depending on the sense or the person.


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