Forming the feminine of nouns and adjectives ending in "-ien/-ion/-on" in French

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE
Last updated: 2023-01-12
18 questions

In French, nouns and adjectives ending in -ien, -ion, and -on have specific feminine forms.

Learn how to make the feminine form of nouns and adjectives ending in -ien, -ion, and -on in French

Look at these nouns and adjectives ending in -ien, -ion, and -on :

Ton fils est mignon, et ta fille est mignonne aussi.Your son is cute, and your daughter is cute too.

Il y a un château ancien et une église ancienne.There is an ancient castle and an ancient church.

Voilà un bon gâteau et une bonne boisson.Here is a good cake and a good drink.

Usain Bolt est un champion.
Serena Williams est une championne.Usain Bolt is a champion.
Serena Williams is a champion.

Au zoo, il y a un lion et une lionne.At the zoo, there is a lion and a lioness.

Andrew est australien, et Emma est aussi australienne.Andrew is Australian, and Emma is also Australian.

 

To form the feminine form of nouns and adjectives ending in -ien, -ion and -on, you double the 'n' and add an 'e' at the end 
-> -ienne, -ionne, -onne.


Cases of nationalities: 

Note that nationalities used as adjectives are NOT capitalised, whereas they are capitalised when used as nouns:
Ma petite amie est canadienne.My girlfriend is Canadian.

Je connais un Canadien qui vit de l'autre côté de la rue.I know a Canadian who lives across the street.
 

See also Forming the feminine of adjectives ending in "-el/-eil/-il/-ul/-et/some in -s" in French

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Il y a un château ancien et une église ancienne.There is an ancient castle and an ancient church.
Voilà un bon gâteau et une bonne boisson.Here is a good cake and a good drink.
J'ai un chien et une chienne.I have a dog and a female dog.
Au zoo, il y a un lion et une lionne.At the zoo, there is a lion and a lioness.
Ton fils est mignon, et ta fille est mignonne aussi.Your son is cute, and your daughter is cute too.
Andrew est australien, et Emma est aussi australienne.Andrew is Australian, and Emma is also Australian.
Usain Bolt est un champion.
Serena Williams est une championne.Usain Bolt is a champion.
Serena Williams is a champion.
Ma petite amie est canadienne.My girlfriend is Canadian.
Je connais un Canadien qui vit de l'autre côté de la rue.I know a Canadian who lives across the street.
Clever stuff happening!