The nouns that change gender from singular to plural

14 nov. 2017 08:30 - language-swap

Niveau intermédiaire plus

In French there are few words that change gender when changing number.

Examples:

“amour” (love) is a male name when singular but becomes female when put to plural.
Example
un amour perdu → des amours perdues

“délice” (delight) is a male name when singular but becomes female when put to plural.
Example
Un délice inapproprié → des délices inappropriées

“orgue” (organ, music.)) is a male word when singular but becomes female when put to plural in an emphatic (exaggerated) way.
Example
Un grand orgue → de grandes orgues

“aigle” (hawk) is a male word when singular but becomes female when put to plural into heraldic
studies (science of blazon).
Example
un aigle royal → des aigles impériales