So! with regard to English counties, Where does Mersyside come into it. Male or female?

Ian M.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

So! with regard to English counties, Where does Mersyside come into it. Male or female?

Asked 6 years ago
AurélieNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

Bonjour Ian !

Mmmmmhhh, I checked to make sure that my first instinct was correct, and indeed, Merseyside is masculine in French:

J'habite dans le Merseyside.

See https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merseyside

This got me wondering whether all English counties are actually considered as masculine in French (regardless of their ending), so I went around to check.

It turns out that Merseyside seems to be the only -e county (except for the -shire ones), and all are masculine, with two notable exceptions:

- Cornwall, which in French is translated as la or les Cornouailles.
- Isle of Wight, which is a special case due to the term "île" : l'île de Wight.

J'habite en Cornouailles.
J'habite (sur) l'île de Wight.

Thanks to you, I learned something today :)

I hope that's helpful to you too!
Bonne journée !

Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
I would treat it as a feminine region (the "-shires" being exceptions to the rule): Je viens de la Mersyside. Je vais en Mersyside. -- Chris (not a native speaker).
Ian M.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thank you, Claus/Chris. On your advice, from now on I will treat it as feminine. :)
Ron T.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Ian M.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Hi Ron, Thanks for your help, but I'm still confused. Are we saying then that all English counties are masculine?
Ian M.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Hi Ron, Thanks for your help, but I'm still confused. Are we saying then that all English counties are masculine?
Ron T.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
The take-away from the lesson that I referenced would be that all of the «-shires» are masculine; if there are other counties that have endings other than -shire then they may be feminine or masculine. Aurélie clearly notes this in both of the lessons that I referenced. You might wish to consider addressing this to Aurélie specifically. I understand that she lives in the UK so would have first-hand knowledge. My response to your question is based solely on the lesson. Bonne journée,
Ian M.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Hi Ron, Thanks for taking the time to help me.I will take your advice and ask Aurélie. Merci encore et passez une bonne journée. Ian.
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Yes, of course the -shires are masculine. If you reread my original post that's what I said: they are the exception to the rule that all regions ending on e are feminine. I apologize if I haven't been clear on that. -- Chris.

So! with regard to English counties, Where does Mersyside come into it. Male or female?

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