How do you define masculine and feminine?

Answer 1

In French, masculine and feminine cannot always be indentified. if you see a word preceeded by a "le/la" or an "un/une", you know that le/un are masculine and la/une are feminine, and thus the word following it is either masculie or feminine. With adjectives, you will often notice that feminine forms end with an "e" or have an extra e following an é (such is in fiancé/fiancée). Words ending in "-eux" will often be changed to end with "-euse" to accomodate for the feminine. If the gender of the noun is obviously feminine (such as soeur(sister)) then it will be feminine. That's about all I can think of right now.

Answer 2

Masculine and feminine are social constructs that relate to characteristics, behaviors, and attributes traditionally associated with men and women, respectively. These ideas can vary between cultures and time periods, and may encompass traits such as independence, strength, assertiveness (masculine) or nurturing, empathy, and sensitivity (feminine).