Key points about possessive adjectives in French
Adjectives that show ownership, eg my, your, his, our. They are placed before a noun, eg my book, your jacket. show whom something or someone belongs to.
French possessive adjectives must agree with the The name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words. in number and All French nouns are either masculine or feminine. In French, objects such as a table or car, as well as people, have a grammatical gender..
Mon, ton and son are used instead of ma, ta and sa before a All nouns in French are either masculine or feminine. word starting with a vowel or silent ‘h’.
Video: Possessive adjectives in French
Watch the video to find out how to use possessive adjectives in French.
Possessive adjectives must agree with their noun - either masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
Possessive adjectives or establishing a sense of belonging.
Just like they do in English, possessive adjectives in French tell us who something or someone belongs to.
They must agree with their noun, which is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
'My' can be translated to mon, ma or mes.
'Your' can be ton, ta or tes.
'His', 'her', 'its' are son, sa or ses.
And then there's 'our' - notre, notre, nos, 'your' - votre, vos and 'their' - leur, leurs.
Choosing the right one is pretty straightforward:
Un sac, for example, is masculine singular.
J'ai volé son sac.
With a feminine noun like moto, you'd say something like: J'adore ta moto !
Here are a few more:
Levons nos verres.
Il écoute leur conversation.
But be careful! The possessive adjective of a feminine word that starts with either a vowel or a silent h uses the masculine form.
Either mon, ton or son so it's easier to pronounce!
Ton histoire est amusante !
Possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives show whom something or someone belongs to.
To express whom something belongs to (eg my, your, our), use a possessive adjective. In French, the possessive adjective agrees with the gender of the thing owned, not the owner.
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Plural (masculine and feminine) |
|---|---|---|---|
| my | mon | ma | mes |
| your (familiar singular) | ton | ta | tes |
| his/her/its | son | sa | ses |
| our | notre | notre | nos |
| your (formal/plural) | votre | votre | vos |
| their | leur | leur | leurs |
For example:
J‘ai parlé avec mon grand-père hier. – I spoke to my grandad yesterday.
C’est ton stylo ? – Is it your pen?
Nous allons visiter leur maison demain. – We’re going to visit their house tomorrow.
Remember
Mon, ton and son are used instead of ma, ta and sa before a feminine word starting with a vowel or silent 'h'. This makes pronunciation easier.
For example:
Mon amie est très sportive. – My (female) friend is very sporty.
Possessive adjectives - Mini quiz
Choose the correct possessive adjective to complete this sentence:
Mon/Ma/Mes amis sont très amusants.
Mes amis sont très amusants.
My friends are very funny.
Amis is plural, so mes is needed.
Choose the correct possessive adjective to complete this sentence:
Nous avons parlé avec notre/nos grand-mère hier.
Nous avons parlé avec notre grand-mère hier.
We spoke to our grandmother yesterday.
Grand-mère is singular, so notre is correct, regardless of whether it is masculine or feminine.
Quiz - Possessive adjectives in French
Practise what you've learned about possessive adjectives with this quiz.
Now you’ve learned about possessive adjectives, why not explore interrogative adverbs in French?
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