In French, every noun is assigned a gender — either masculine or feminine. This can sometimes feel tricky for learners, especially when the gender doesn’t align with expectations based on the word’s meaning. One such example is the word canard, which means “duck” in English.
So, is canard masculine or feminine? The answer is clear: canard is masculine.
Why Is Canard Masculine?
In French, canard follows the typical pattern of many animal names that are masculine. While you might think of a duck as a cute, delicate creature and therefore associate it with the feminine, French grammar doesn’t always make such intuitive connections.
Here’s an example to make it clearer:
- Le canard — The duck (masculine)
- Un canard — A duck (masculine)
Feminine Forms of Animal Names
While canard is masculine, there are feminine forms for some animals. For example, the female of a canard (duck) is called a canette. However, the word canard itself remains masculine, regardless of whether you’re referring to a male or a female duck.
In summary, while canard refers to a duck and the feminine counterpart is canette, canard itself is always masculine in French grammar.
Fun Fact: Canard in Other Contexts
Interestingly, canard can also be used in an idiomatic expression in French. It can mean “newspaper” or “tabloid,” often referring to a sensationalistic or unreliable publication. The gender remains masculine in this case as well:
- Le canard — The newspaper (masculine)
In conclusion, canard is masculine in French. Remember, when learning French, it’s essential to memorize the gender of nouns since there aren’t always clear rules or patterns to follow. So next time you see a canard in a French sentence, you can confidently know it’s masculine!
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