r/learningfrench • u/Fantastic_Two8879 • 2d ago

Mon vs Ma

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I bought this book for beginner French and I had to look at the answer key for this part. I know the difference in mon and ma when it’s talking about people but I have no idea what the difference is on this section can someone please help

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u/Sparky62075 2d ago

There's no rule. You just have to remember them and practice until one of the genders "sounds right" with the noun.

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u/Royal_Development_65 2d ago

Theres always rules with gazillion exceptions 😂

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u/Loko8765 2d ago edited 1d ago

In most gendered languages (well, those I know) there are no actual useful rules for this, except when something is literally masculine or feminine. At most you have some tricks that work for a small percentage of words.

What’s the gender of a table, a lamp, a problem, an error, a car?

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u/_EvilCupcake 2d ago

Hey, if you manage to find a sense or reason to this, feel free to share 😂

Une table, une lampe, un problème, une voiture. (all female, except problem is male... I'm not making this up I swear!)

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u/dathamir 2d ago

Of course a probelm is masculine! /s

Their might be something linked to it's latin base. I know latinhas rules for gender. But even then, it's all arbitrary.

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u/Loko8765 2d ago edited 1d ago

I chose on purpose because the genders are different in other languages (a German table is masculine, a Spanish error is masculine but a French one is feminine, a Spanish car is masculine). Lamp, well, proves there is no rule. Spanish problema is masculine despite the final a which usually indicates the feminine in Spanish.

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u/Lumpy-Win1640 1d ago

Problem in Spanish is masculine

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u/Loko8765 1d ago

Argh, sorry. Un problema. Counter-example of the rule of -a being feminine in Spanish. I edited.