How do I know which is which

Question

When in conversation or writing, how do I know what object should use feminine or masculine? This is one thing I have never been able to understand it wrap my head around is what makes something feminine or masculine with things that have no gender in English such as fruit or colours

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Cleo,
My first advise would be to learn words along with the definite/indefinite article that it goes with (whether they are fruits or colours):

pomme (= apple) -> une pomme (= an apple) -> feminine
tasse (= mug) -> une tasse (= a mug) -> feminine
cahier (= notebook) -> un cahier (= a notebook) -> masculine
fruit (= fruit) -> un fruit (= a fruit) -> masculine

vert  (= green) -> le vert (= green) -> masculine*
*colours used as nouns are masculine in French
Also, learning about specific French word endings might help you recognise genders although this is not foolproof:
Identifying the gender of nouns by some specific word endings in French
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !