Here's a breakdown with examples:
Masculine:
* Nouns referring to males:
* Man: *der Mann* (German), *le homme* (French), *el hombre* (Spanish)
* King: *der König* (German), *le roi* (French), *el rey* (Spanish)
* Son: *der Sohn* (German), *le fils* (French), *el hijo* (Spanish)
* Nouns that are often associated with masculine qualities:
* Sun: *die Sonne* (German), *le soleil* (French), *el sol* (Spanish)
* Day: *der Tag* (German), *le jour* (French), *el día* (Spanish)
* Wind: *der Wind* (German), *le vent* (French), *el viento* (Spanish)
Feminine:
* Nouns referring to females:
* Woman: *die Frau* (German), *la femme* (French), *la mujer* (Spanish)
* Queen: *die Königin* (German), *la reine* (French), *la reina* (Spanish)
* Daughter: *die Tochter* (German), *la fille* (French), *la hija* (Spanish)
* Nouns that are often associated with feminine qualities:
* Moon: *der Mond* (German), *la lune* (French), *la luna* (Spanish)
* Night: *die Nacht* (German), *la nuit* (French), *la noche* (Spanish)
* Flower: *die Blume* (German), *la fleur* (French), *la flor* (Spanish)
Neuter (German)
* Nouns that are neither masculine nor feminine:
* Book: *das Buch*
* House: *das Haus*
* Window: *das Fenster*
Important Notes:
* Not all languages use genders: English does not have grammatical gender for nouns.
* Gender can be confusing: There are often exceptions to the rules, and some words may have different genders in different languages.
* Gender can influence articles: The definite and indefinite articles often change depending on the gender of the noun. For example, in German: *der Mann* (the man), *die Frau* (the woman), *das Buch* (the book).
Learning gender agreement can be challenging, but it's an important part of mastering many languages.