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Mazda man asked in Society & CultureLanguages · 1 decade ago

French language question. Is "gent" masculin or feminin?

Please, I am very familiar with the internet translators, and I don't trust them at all.

This word is only used in a plural form, but in singular, would it be "un gent" or "une gent" and why?

Thank you.

Update:

Merci Roeho et Patrick, mais sur quoi vous etes-vous basés pour vous vous contredire ainsi?

4 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    It is feminin I believe, but like you said, it is only used in a plural form.

    "Une gens (pluriel latin gentes) est dans le système social romain, un « clan » ou groupe de familles portant un nom en commun, le gentilice (en latin gentilicius), et qui descendait par les mâles d'un ancêtre commun. La gens vivait sous l’autorité d’un pater familias, interprète de la volonté divine, prêtre, juge et chef. La femme tient une place modeste bien que par l’influence étrusque, son rôle soit moins effacé que celui de la femme grecque, confinée dans son gynécée. À la gens sont associés des esclaves, peu nombreux, et des clients, libres, possédant un petit lot de terres".

  • 1 decade ago

    Forget about "gent", you'll likely never use the word, other than in set expressions. You must be refering to gens, which is always plural. In the singular, you'd say une personne.

    Essentially, gens is masculine. There is small quirk, however, because gens is feminine when it is preceded by an adjective, as in "les petites gens", but this is essentially a written trait as not every native speaker is aware of this.

  • Rodica
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Gent – feminine noun, plural gens =

    Compound forms :

    Gent féminine (Locution) phrase – fair sex

    Gent masculine (Locution) phrase – male sex

    Gent – Nation, race, espèce

    Old word that meant Nation. The gent who wore the turban, the old Turks, the Turkish nation.

    It also meant Race. Frogs. Mice. Fig. La gent sheepish, people who are doing what they do, who blindly follow the example of other like sheep.

    Adjective: Gent (m) – gente (f)

  • 1 decade ago

    D'après le "dictionnaire Larousse", le mot "gens" est féminin, pas masculin.

    Alors, c'est la gent.

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