Is « otage » masculine or feminine?

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

Article forms

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

Plural

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

Why the gender

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

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

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

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


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