# FR: Pâques / Pâque - genre : masculin / féminin



## cobweb

Is it correct that the _day _of Easter is *le *Pâques, but the _fête _of Easter is *la *Pâques? If so, I presume that's because _jour _is masculine and _fête _is feminine?


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## Ze Bib

yep but we would always say, _le jour de Pâques_ or _les fêtes de Pâques_ or simply _Pâques_ but never just _le/la Pâques_ on its own like this...


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## Argyll

I have never, in my 60 years of presence in the French-speaking parts of your planet, heard of Pâques referred to as "le".

"La" or "les" - the articles and other determiners, either feminine or plural - are mostly used by believers in the religions that have "Pâques", as in "faire ses Pâques" : getting involved in whatever religious ceremony is going on on that particular day.

Other people do not in general use the article or determiners. "Les routes sont encombrées le week-end de Pâques".


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## calinmatou

Je vois le dilemme des anglophones avec la langue française and feel for them... C'est si simple de dire Happy Easter, n'est-ce-pas? Plus de problèmes de genre ni de savoir si on se réfère au jour ou à la fête. Cela dit, je ne suis pas tout à fait d'accord avec le/la Pâques. La Pâque, fait référence à la fête juive, celle justement que Jésus célébra avec ses disciples lors du dernier souper. Et quand il s'agit de la fête chrétienne, Pâques est masculin si on insiste sur la date et prend une majuscule:Quand Pâques sera arrivé (sans s ou e muet s dans arrivé, comme on serait tenté de l'écrire) mais il est au féminin plurielle s'il est suivi d'une épithète: Des Pâques fleuries. Alors, imaginez un peu la difficulté pour les anglophones...même les francophones parfois y perdent leur latin.


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## cobweb

I asked my question because, d'après Robert Collins:
*Pâques* *NM* Easter ♦ *le** lundi/la semaine de* ~ Easter Monday/week....*
NFPL *♦ *bonnes* _ou _j*oyeuses* ~ *! *Happy Easter!

I've been saying 'joyeux Pâques' because of the first part of the definition, when it appears I should be saying 'joyeuses Pâques', presumably an abbreviation for 'joyeuses (fêtes de) Pâques'?


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## Argyll

[…]

You're right about "Joyeuses Pâques".


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## JeanDeSponde

cobweb said:


> ... d'après Robert Collins:
> *Pâques* *NM* Easter


This one is fantastic !
_La Pâque juive_, a big standard;
_Les Pâques chrétiennes_, another timeless success...
Now, if Robert, with Collins' aid, want to change it (with the help of my DHO, to be true...), then, as we say in French, _il n'y a plus qu'à tirer l'échelle_ !
The funnier is that I found an on-line dictionnary that says - word for word :
> pâques
(nom masculin)
[avec une majuscule] Dans l'Eglise chrétienne, fête de la résurrection de Jésus-Christ.• Pâques fleuries: le dimanche des Rameaux.​Could someone find *one* example of "Pâques" as masc. ?...


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## cobweb

Seems OK for the Vatican: "Musique pour le Pâques".

Not saying it's right or wrong, and I'm too confused now, anyway.


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## JeanDeSponde

Je mange _*ma*_ chapeau...
The question - at least to me - becomes two questions :
1/ Why did "la Pâque juive" became "les Pâques chrétiens",
2/ And why does nobody cares ?...
"Les Pâques chrétiens" : zero googles, vs. 311 for "les Pâques chrétiennes".
It seems that only those checking against a dictionary will swap f. for m. !...
[…]



cobweb said:


> Not saying it's right or wrong, and I'm too confused now, anyway.


I agree with you - this is highly confusing. I would'nt believe it until you put your finger on it.
Indeed *all* reliable dictionaries give the Christian _Pâques_ as n.masc.plur. (and n.fem.sing for the Jewish _Pâque_).
Though _nobody_ uses it as such !... (except some official & foreign stuff probably checked 1000 times against a dictionary, and possibly a few tens of typos - who knows).
Anyway - _Joyeuses Pâques !..._


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## KaRiNe_Fr

See the TLFi too:


> *II.* -_Pâques_, subst.
> *A.* - Fête chrétienne, mobile, célébrant la résurrection du Christ.
> — _Subst. masc. sing._[*Non précédé d'un art.*]  _La fête, les fêtes de Pâques; célébrer Pâques_.  _Le lendemain matin était le premier jour du mois de mai. Les cloches de Pâques avaient sonné depuis quelques jours la résurrection du printemps_ (MURGER, _Scènes vie boh._, 1851, p.201).


See what I have stressed: "Non précédé d'un article", it seems to be masculine (singular) only for that precise case...


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## cobweb

But if Pâque*s *is masc, we would have to write:"Cette année, Pâques est tombé dans la deuxième semaine du mois d'avril", not *tombée?*


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## Argyll

You're perfectly right. […]


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## broglet

I now have this irresistible urge to say "Pâques sont tombés"


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## Denis the fatalist

sorry to interfere, I think the last answers deal with phrases which are merely spoken (in which these problems don't apply). If you say "Pâques est tombé (-é, -ée, -ées, -s, -ez, -ex or even -et) nobody is going to correct it, you can't hear it. But if you write it, you'll mis your TOFFL (Test of French as a Foreing Language", unless you're reporting what this nice guy/girl told you when qeueing for the plane.


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## Argyll

broglet said:


> I now have this irresistible urge to say "Pâques sont tombés"


Tempting, very tempting, I know, Broglet. All very big mistakes are very tempting.

So let's just follow Denis The Fatalist's hint, and look forward to the next long week-end.


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