Accordrécif
le récif
reef
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How do you say récif in French?
How do you pronounce récif in French?
récif is pronounced /lə ʁesif/ in French.
Example sentences
Le récif corallien est magnifique et très ancien.
The coral reef is magnificent and very old. (masculine adjectives: corallien, magnifique, ancien agree with le récif)
Ce récif tropical est devenu un parc marin protégé.
This tropical reef has become a protected marine park. (masculine adjectives: tropical, protégé and demonstrative adjective ce agree with récif)
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Why is it masculine?
Récif is masculine. While the word does derive from Arabic "رصيف" (rasīf) meaning "reef" or "pavement," the explanation for its masculine gender is imprecise. In French, words ending in -f are typically masculine (e.g., neuf, chef, motif), which better accounts for récif's gender than the broader claim about consonant-final words. The Arabic borrowing into Old French is plausible given medieval Mediterranean trade, but the masculine gender is primarily maintained due to the -f ending pattern in French rather than Romance language conventions about consonant-final words.
What is the French word for reef?
The French word for reef is le récif — masculine.
Gender across languages
| Language | Word | Article | Gender |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇪🇸 Spanish | arrecife | el | masculine |
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