* Gender in French is complex: Gender in French isn't always about biological sex. It's more about grammatical classification. Words are categorized as masculine or feminine based on various factors, including:
* Ending: Many words end in "-e" and are feminine, while others end in "-on" and are masculine. But this isn't always the case.
* Historical roots: Sometimes, a word's gender is based on its Latin origin, regardless of its ending.
* Usage: Some words can have both masculine and feminine forms, with different meanings.
* Constant evolution: The French language is constantly evolving, with new words being created and borrowed from other languages. This makes it difficult to keep a precise count.
Instead of focusing on a percentage, it's more helpful to understand the principles of gender in French:
* Gender agreement: Nouns, adjectives, and articles must agree in gender with the noun they modify.
* Gender ambiguity: Some words have both masculine and feminine forms, depending on the context.
* Gender-neutral terms: French is increasingly adopting gender-neutral terms, particularly in formal settings.
Learning the grammatical rules and common patterns is more helpful than focusing on a specific percentage.