Is « esclavage » masculine or feminine?

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

Article forms

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

Plural

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

Why the gender

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

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

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

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


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