1. French nouns - countries

2. French nouns Nouns are words that name a person, place or thing. All nouns in French have a gender. Words are either masculine or feminine. To say ‘the’ there are two possible words, and the right one will depend on the gender of the noun. Le is used with masculine words. La is used with feminine words. When the noun starts with a vowel le or la becomes l’.

3. Nouns – names of countries Most countries are feminine words: La France La Nouvelle-Zélande L’Australie (f) To say ‘in’ when the country is feminine, the correct word is en: en France, en Nouvelle-Zélande, en Australie

4. Nouns – names of countries There are some countries that are masculine: Le Maroc Le Japon Le Pays Bas To say ‘in’ when the country is masculine, the correct word is au: au Maroc, au Japon, au Pays Bas

5. Nouns – names of countries There is one common exception that is a plural country: Les Etats Unis To say ‘in’ when the country is plural, the correct word is aux: aux Etats-Unis