Is « engin » masculine or feminine?

« engin » is masculine. You say l'engin.

Article forms

With the definite article l'engin
With the indefinite article un engin
With the partitive article de l'engin

Plural

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

Why the gender

engin ends in -in. Nouns ending in -in are usually masculine, so engin 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 « engin » masculine or feminine?

« engin » is masculine. You say l'engin.

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

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


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