Is « merci » masculine or feminine?
« merci » works as both masculine and feminine. You will see un merci and une merci, with the article carrying the meaning or agreeing with the person described.
In English, « merci » means thank you (m.); mercy (f.).
Article forms
| With the definite article | le merci / la merci |
| With the indefinite article | un merci / une merci |
| With the partitive article | du merci / de la merci |
Plural
The plural is mercis (les mercis). A noun keeps its gender in the plural; only the article stops showing it.
In a sentence
-
Le bateau était à la merci des vagues.
The ship was at the mercy of the waves. -
Le petit bateau était à la merci du vent.
The small boat was at the mercy of the wind. -
L'homme est vraiment à la merci de la nature.
Man is indeed at the mercy of nature.
Example sentences from Tatoeba, used under CC BY 2.0 FR. Each links to its source sentence.
Common questions
Is « merci » masculine or feminine?
« merci » works as both. You will see un merci and une merci, with the article carrying the meaning or agreeing with the person being described.
Is it « un merci » or « une merci »?
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.