The problem
When a foreign language uses genders for nouns and pronouns, memorizing these genders is a difficult process.
Sometimes it is possible to follow rules or hints: 1; 2; 3. E.g.:
- In French, words ending in
-ette
are (98%) feminine (source) - In Portuguese, a substantive ending in
a
is usually feminine, and one ending ino
is usually masculine; - In German, words ending in
e
tend to be feminine.
The question
But when such rules are not available, what strategies can I use to memorize the gender?
Am I stuck with rote learning?