Blog about English
Masculine, feminine and gender-neutral nouns.
English nouns generally do not have grammatical gender.
Unlike many languages, English assigns gender primarily according to natural sex rather than grammatical classification.
My brother is a doctor.
Мой брат — врач.
"Brother" refers to a male person, but English nouns do not generally have grammatical gender.
My sister is a teacher.
Моя сестра — учитель.
"Sister" refers to a female person, but nouns such as "teacher" are not grammatically masculine or feminine.
The student left a notebook on the desk.
Студент оставил тетрадь на столе.
"Student" can refer to a person of any gender.
The doctor called me this morning.
Врач позвонил мне сегодня утром.
"Doctor" does not show the gender of the person.
The car is parked outside.
Машина припаркована снаружи.
"Car" has no grammatical gender in modern English and is normally referred to with "it".
The table is made of wood.
Стол сделан из дерева.
"Table" is not grammatically masculine or feminine in English.
The dog is sleeping under the table.
Собака спит под столом.
"Dog" does not indicate grammatical gender; the pronoun can depend on whether the sex is known.
The nurse helped the patient.
Медсестра или медбрат помог пациенту.
"Nurse" is gender-neutral in modern English.
People and many animals are referred to according to their natural gender.
Male and female nouns often have different forms, while many nouns are gender-neutral.
My father works in a hospital.
Мой отец работает в больнице.
"Father" refers to a male person, so "he" is used when a pronoun is needed.
My mother is a lawyer.
Моя мать — юрист.
"Mother" refers to a female person, so "she" is used when a pronoun is needed.
My uncle lives in California.
Мой дядя живет в Калифорнии.
"Uncle" refers to a male person.
My aunt lives in California.
Моя тетя живет в Калифорнии.
"Aunt" refers to a female person.
The actor thanked the audience.
Актер поблагодарил зрителей.
"Actor" traditionally identifies a male actor, although "actor" is increasingly used for people of any gender.
The queen arrived at the palace.
Королева прибыла во дворец.
"Queen" is a specifically female noun.
The horse is very fast.
Лошадь очень быстрая.
"Horse" is gender-neutral; the sex is not expressed by the noun itself.
The mare is standing near the fence.
Кобыла стоит возле забора.
"Mare" specifically refers to a female horse.
Many English nouns refer to people regardless of gender.
Words such as teacher, student, doctor and friend can refer to both males and females.
The teacher is explaining the lesson.
Учитель объясняет урок.
"Teacher" can refer to a man or a woman.
The student is waiting outside the classroom.
Студент ждет возле аудитории.
"Student" is gender-neutral.
The doctor is talking to the patient.
Врач разговаривает с пациентом.
"Doctor" can refer to a person of any gender.
My friend lives in New York.
Мой друг живет в Нью-Йорке.
"Friend" is gender-neutral.
The manager called a meeting.
Менеджер созвал собрание.
"Manager" is a gender-neutral occupational noun.
The neighbor offered to help us.
Сосед предложил нам помочь.
"Neighbor" does not identify gender.
The customer asked for a refund.
Клиент попросил вернуть деньги.
"Customer" can refer to a man or a woman.
The applicant submitted the form online.
Заявитель отправил форму онлайн.
"Applicant" is gender-neutral and does not indicate whether the person is male or female.
Some nouns have separate masculine and feminine forms.
Examples include actor/actress, waiter/waitress, prince/princess and king/queen.
The actor won an award.
Актер получил награду.
"Actor" is traditionally contrasted with "actress", although "actor" is now commonly used for all genders.
The actress won an award.
Актриса получила награду.
"Actress" is a traditional feminine form of "actor".
The waiter brought our food.
Официант принес нашу еду.
"Waiter" is traditionally a masculine occupational form.
The waitress brought our food.
Официантка принесла нашу еду.
"Waitress" is a traditional feminine form of "waiter".
The prince arrived at the castle.
Принц прибыл в замок.
"Prince" is traditionally masculine.
The princess arrived at the castle.
Принцесса прибыла в замок.
"Princess" is the traditional feminine counterpart of "prince".
The king spoke to the crowd.
Король обратился к толпе.
"King" is traditionally masculine.
The queen spoke to the crowd.
Королева обратилась к толпе.
"Queen" is traditionally feminine.
Modern English increasingly prefers gender-neutral occupational titles.
Forms such as firefighter, police officer and chairperson are often preferred over gender-specific alternatives.
The firefighter arrived within minutes.
Пожарный прибыл через несколько минут.
"Firefighter" is a gender-neutral occupational title.
The police officer helped the family.
Полицейский помог семье.
"Police officer" is gender-neutral.
The chairperson opened the meeting.
Председатель открыл собрание.
"Chairperson" is a gender-neutral alternative to gender-specific titles.
The spokesperson answered questions from reporters.
Представитель компании ответил на вопросы журналистов.
"Spokesperson" is gender-neutral.
The mail carrier delivered the package.
Почтальон доставил посылку.
"Mail carrier" is a gender-neutral occupational title commonly used in American English.
The flight attendant welcomed the passengers.
Бортпроводник приветствовал пассажиров.
"Flight attendant" is a gender-neutral occupational title.
The police officer spoke with the driver.
Полицейский поговорил с водителем.
"Police officer" does not specify whether the officer is male or female.
The chairperson thanked everyone for attending.
Председатель поблагодарил всех за участие.
"Chairperson" avoids specifying gender.
Animals are usually referred to with it unless their sex is known or relevant.
Pets and animals with emotional significance are often referred to as he or she.
The dog is sleeping in the yard.
Собака спит во дворе.
"Dog" is referred to with "it" when the animal's sex is not relevant.
The cat is under the bed, but I cannot see it.
Кошка под кроватью, но я не могу ее видеть.
"It" is natural when the cat's sex is unknown or irrelevant.
My dog is twelve years old. He loves going to the park.
Моей собаке двенадцать лет. Он любит ходить в парк.
A pet is often referred to as "he" or "she" when its sex is known and the animal is personally significant.
My cat is very affectionate. She sleeps on my bed.
Моя кошка очень ласковая. Она спит на моей кровати.
"She" is natural because the speaker knows the cat is female.
The horse hurt its leg.
Лошадь повредила ногу.
"Its" is natural when the horse's sex is unknown or unimportant.
The mare is near the fence. She has a young foal.
Кобыла возле забора. У нее есть жеребенок.
"Mare" identifies a female horse, so "she" is appropriate.
The lion looked tired, so it rested under a tree.
Лев выглядел уставшим, поэтому он отдыхал под деревом.
"It" can be used for wild animals when the sex is not important.
The zoo introduced a female gorilla and her baby.
Зоопарк представил самку гориллы и ее детеныша.
"Female gorilla" explicitly identifies sex when it is relevant.
Pronouns should agree with the natural gender of the person being referred to.
Choose he, she or they according to the intended meaning and current usage.
Maria said she would call me later.
Мария сказала, что позвонит мне позже.
"She" refers back to the female person "Maria".
David said he was tired.
Дэвид сказал, что он устал.
"He" refers back to the male person "David".
My sister said she was busy.
Моя сестра сказала, что она занята.
"She" agrees with the natural gender of "sister".
My brother said he was busy.
Мой брат сказал, что он занят.
"He" agrees with the natural gender of "brother".
The doctor said they would call me tomorrow.
Врач сказал, что позвонит мне завтра.
"They" can be used when the doctor's gender is unknown or irrelevant.
The student said they had finished the assignment.
Студент сказал, что закончил задание.
"They" avoids making an unsupported assumption about the student's gender.
My friend said they would meet us at six.
Мой друг сказал, что встретится с нами в шесть.
"They" can be used when the person's gender is unknown or not relevant.
The applicant should include their phone number on the form.
Заявитель должен указать свой номер телефона в форме.
"Their" agrees naturally with singular "applicant" when gender is unknown or irrelevant.
They may refer to a single person whose gender is unknown, irrelevant or non-binary.
Singular they is widely accepted in modern English and is common in both spoken and written language.
Someone left their phone on the table.
Кто-то оставил свой телефон на столе.
"Their" is singular here because "someone" refers to one unspecified person.
If a student has a question, they can raise their hand.
Если у студента есть вопрос, он может поднять руку.
"They" and "their" refer to one student without specifying gender.
The doctor said they would call me later.
Врач сказал, что позвонит мне позже.
"They" is singular here because "doctor" refers to one person.
A customer left their umbrella at the front desk.
Клиент оставил свой зонт на стойке регистрации.
"Their" refers to one customer whose gender is not known.
Someone forgot their password.
Кто-то забыл свой пароль.
"Their" is used as a singular possessive determiner after "someone".
Every employee should check their email.
Каждый сотрудник должен проверить свою электронную почту.
"Their" avoids using "his or her" and is standard in contemporary English.
The winner can collect their prize at the office.
Победитель может получить свой приз в офисе.
"Their" refers to one winner whose gender is not specified.
My friend said they would meet us outside.
Мой друг сказал, что встретится с нами снаружи.
"They" can refer to one specific person when used as a gender-neutral pronoun.
Objects, countries and ships may occasionally be referred to as he or she for stylistic purposes.
This usage is less common in modern English and is mainly found in literary, historical or traditional contexts.
The ship lost her engine during the storm.
Корабль потерял двигатель во время бури.
"Her" for a ship is a traditional personifying usage and is less common in modern neutral English.
The old car finally gave up, and I said she had a good life.
Старая машина наконец сломалась, и я сказал, что она хорошо послужила.
"She" can be used affectionately to personify an object such as a beloved car.
The ship changed her course before the storm.
Корабль изменил свой курс перед бурей.
Traditional maritime English may use "her" for a ship.
Mother Nature has shown us her power.
Мать-природа показала нам свою силу.
"Her" personifies nature as a female figure in a traditional expression.
The city has changed its skyline over the years.
Город за эти годы изменил свой силуэт.
Modern neutral English normally uses "its" for cities rather than personifying them.
In the poem, the country describes herself as a mother.
В стихотворении страна описывает себя как мать.
"Herself" is a literary personification of a country.
The Earth protects its inhabitants.
Земля защищает своих обитателей.
Modern scientific English normally uses "its" rather than personifying the Earth.
The old house seemed to remember its past.
Казалось, старый дом помнил свое прошлое.
"Its" is the normal modern choice; personification is a stylistic option rather than a grammatical requirement.
Modern English generally avoids unnecessary gender-specific language.
Inclusive language is preferred in most contemporary academic, professional and public contexts.
The police officer stopped the car.
Полицейский остановил машину.
"Police officer" is preferred when the person's gender is not relevant.
The firefighter entered the building.
Пожарный вошел в здание.
"Firefighter" is gender-neutral and does not assume the person is male.
The chairperson opened the meeting.
Председатель открыл собрание.
"Chairperson" is a gender-neutral alternative to gender-specific titles.
Each student should submit their assignment by Friday.
Каждый студент должен сдать свое задание к пятнице.
Singular "they" allows the sentence to avoid unnecessary gender-specific language.
The spokesperson answered questions from reporters.
Представитель ответил на вопросы журналистов.
"Spokesperson" is gender-neutral.
The flight attendant helped the passengers.
Бортпроводник помог пассажирам.
"Flight attendant" avoids a gender-specific occupational label.
The chair thanked everyone for attending.
Председатель поблагодарил всех за участие.
"Chair" can be used as a gender-neutral occupational title in many contexts.
The mail carrier delivered the package.
Почтальон доставил посылку.
"Mail carrier" is a gender-neutral occupational term in American English.
Some traditional gender-specific nouns are now uncommon or have changed in meaning.
Examples include authoress, poetess and stewardess, which are largely replaced by gender-neutral alternatives.
The author signed copies of her new book.
Автор подписывала экземпляры своей новой книги.
"Author" is gender-neutral; the older feminine form "authoress" is now uncommon.
The poet won a major literary award.
Поэт получил крупную литературную премию.
"Poet" is commonly used for people of any gender; "poetess" is now uncommon.
The flight attendant welcomed the passengers.
Бортпроводник приветствовал пассажиров.
"Flight attendant" has replaced older gender-specific terms in modern usage.
The stewardess helped the passengers.
Стюардесса помогла пассажирам.
"Stewardess" is a traditional feminine term that is less common in contemporary usage.
The actress gave an interview after the movie premiered.
Актриса дала интервью после премьеры фильма.
"Actress" still exists in modern English, unlike some older feminine occupational forms.
The authoress published several novels in the nineteenth century.
Писательница опубликовала несколько романов в XIX веке.
"Authoress" is now largely historical or stylistically marked.
The poetess was celebrated in newspapers of the period.
Поэтесса прославилась в газетах того периода.
"Poetess" is mainly encountered in historical or literary contexts today.
Modern English normally uses "flight attendant" for both men and women.
В современном английском обычно используют "flight attendant" и для мужчин, и для женщин.
"Flight attendant" is the standard gender-neutral term.
Avoid assuming that English nouns have grammatical gender.
Common mistakes include assigning gender based on a learner's native language or using gender-specific terms where neutral alternatives are preferred.
The doctor said they would call later.
Врач сказал, что позвонит позже.
Do not assume that "doctor" must refer to a man or a woman; singular "they" can be used when gender is unknown.
My teacher is very helpful.
Мой учитель очень помогает.
"Teacher" is gender-neutral and does not need a gender-specific form.
The firefighter arrived quickly.
Пожарный быстро прибыл.
Use the gender-neutral noun "firefighter" rather than assuming a male firefighter.
The police officer spoke to the driver.
Полицейский поговорил с водителем.
"Police officer" is gender-neutral.
The cat is sleeping. It must be tired.
Кошка спит. Наверное, она устала.
Use "it" for an animal when its sex is unknown or not relevant.
My dog is friendly. He loves meeting new people.
Моя собака дружелюбная. Он любит знакомиться с новыми людьми.
Use "he" when the pet is known to be male and the speaker treats the animal personally.
Every employee should check their email.
Каждый сотрудник должен проверить свою электронную почту.
Singular "they" is a natural gender-neutral choice after "every employee".
The author published a new novel last year.
Автор опубликовал новый роман в прошлом году.
Do not assume that a female author must be called an "authoress"; "author" is the normal modern term.