Understanding French Possessive Adjectives
French possessive adjectives show ownership or relationship and must agree with the noun they modify, not the possessor.
Key principle: Agreement is with the possessed object, not the possessor:
- mon livre (my book) - masculine singular
- ma voiture (my car) - feminine singular
- mes livres (my books) - plural
Complete system:
- mon/ma/mes: my
- ton/ta/tes: your (informal)
- son/sa/ses: his/her/its
- notre/nos: our
- votre/vos: your (formal/plural)
- leur/leurs: their
This agreement system is fundamental to French and differs significantly from English, where possessive adjectives don't change form.
Examples
Pierre lit son livre. (Pierre reads his book.)
Agreement with "livre" (masculine), not with Pierre
Marie lit son livre. (Marie reads her book.)
Same form "son" because "livre" is masculine
Pierre conduit sa voiture. (Pierre drives his car.)
Agreement with "voiture" (feminine), not with Pierre
MON/MA/MES - My
MON/MA/MES agree with the possessed noun:
Mon/Ma/Mes Agreement
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | mon | mon père (my father) |
| Feminine singular | ma | ma mère (my mother) |
| Plural (both genders) | mes | mes parents (my parents) |
| Fem. before vowel | mon | mon école (my school) |
Examples
Mon chien est mignon. (My dog is cute.)
Ma maison est grande. (My house is big.)
Mes amis arrivent. (My friends are arriving.)
Mon école est fermée. (My school is closed.)
Special Case: MON before Feminine Vowels
Use MON (not MA) before feminine nouns starting with vowels:
mon école (my school) - feminine but starts with vowel
mon amie (my friend) - feminine but starts with vowel
TON/TA/TES - Your (Informal)
TON/TA/TES used with people you address as TU:
Ton/Ta/Tes Agreement
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | ton | ton frère (your brother) |
| Feminine singular | ta | ta sœur (your sister) |
| Plural (both genders) | tes | tes livres (your books) |
| Fem. before vowel | ton | ton amie (your friend) |
Examples
Ton travail est excellent. (Your work is excellent.)
Ta voiture est belle. (Your car is beautiful.)
Tes enfants sont sages. (Your children are well-behaved.)
Ton université est loin? (Is your university far?)
SON/SA/SES - His/Her/Its
SON/SA/SES used for third person singular possession:
Son/Sa/Ses Agreement
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine singular | son | son père (his/her father) |
| Feminine singular | sa | sa mère (his/her mother) |
| Plural (both genders) | ses | ses parents (his/her parents) |
| Fem. before vowel | son | son école (his/her school) |
Examples
Pierre aime son travail. (Pierre loves his work.)
Marie aime son travail. (Marie loves her work.)
Il cherche sa clé. (He's looking for his key.)
Elle cherche sa clé. (She's looking for her key.)
Gender Ambiguity
SON/SA/SES don't indicate possessor's gender:
Paul parle à sa mère. (Paul talks to his mother.)
Marie parle à sa mère. (Marie talks to her mother.)
Clarification When Needed
Add clarification if context unclear:
Pierre parle à sa mère à lui. (Pierre talks to his own mother.)
Marie parle à sa mère à elle. (Marie talks to her own mother.)
NOTRE/NOS - Our
NOTRE/NOS used for first person plural possession:
Notre/Nos Agreement
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Singular (both genders) | notre | notre maison (our house) |
| Plural (both genders) | nos | nos enfants (our children) |
Examples
Notre voiture est en panne. (Our car is broken down.)
Notre école est moderne. (Our school is modern.)
Nos amis viennent dîner. (Our friends are coming for dinner.)
Nos vacances commencent demain. (Our vacation starts tomorrow.)
No Gender Distinction
NOTRE is the same for masculine and feminine:
notre père, notre mère (our father, our mother)
Same form regardless of gender
VOTRE/VOS - Your (Formal/Plural)
VOTRE/VOS used with people you address as VOUS:
Votre/Vos Agreement
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Singular (both genders) | votre | votre travail (your work) |
| Plural (both genders) | vos | vos idées (your ideas) |
Examples
Votre présentation était excellente. (Your presentation was excellent.)
Votre fille est très polie. (Your daughter is very polite.)
Vos documents sont prêts. (Your documents are ready.)
Vos suggestions sont intéressantes. (Your suggestions are interesting.)
Formal Address
Used in professional/formal contexts:
Monsieur, votre commande est prête. (Sir, your order is ready.)
Madame, votre rendez-vous est confirmé. (Madam, your appointment is confirmed.)
Plural Address
Used when addressing multiple people:
Vos enfants sont adorables. (Your children are adorable.)
Speaking to parents about their children
LEUR/LEURS - Their
LEUR/LEURS used for third person plural possession:
Leur/Leurs Agreement
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Singular (both genders) | leur | leur maison (their house) |
| Plural (both genders) | leurs | leurs enfants (their children) |
Examples
Leur voiture est neuve. (Their car is new.)
Leur fille étudie à Paris. (Their daughter studies in Paris.)
Leurs amis habitent loin. (Their friends live far away.)
Leurs vacances ont été formidables. (Their vacation was wonderful.)
LEUR vs LEURS
Only number agreement, no gender distinction:
leur père, leur mère (their father, their mother)
leurs pères, leurs mères (their fathers, their mothers)
Agreement Rules Summary
Key agreement principles for possessive adjectives:
Agreement Summary
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| With masculine singular | mon, ton, son, notre, votre, leur | mon livre, ton père, leur chat |
| With feminine singular | ma, ta, sa, notre, votre, leur | ma voiture, ta mère, leur maison |
| With plural | mes, tes, ses, nos, vos, leurs | mes livres, tes parents, leurs chats |
| Fem. + vowel | mon, ton, son | mon école, ton amie, son université |
Agreement with Possessed Object
Always agree with the noun being possessed:
Pierre et sa voiture (Pierre and his car)
Marie et sa voiture (Marie and her car)
Possessive Adjectives vs Possessive Pronouns
Don't confuse possessive adjectives with possessive pronouns:
Adjectives vs Pronouns
| Pronoun | Conjugation | English |
|---|---|---|
| Adjective | mon livre | modifies noun "livre" |
| Pronoun | le mien | replaces noun entirely |
| Adjective | sa voiture | modifies noun "voiture" |
| Pronoun | la sienne | replaces noun entirely |
Examples
C'est mon livre. → C'est le mien. (It's my book. → It's mine.)
Adjective becomes pronoun
Common Expressions with Possessive Adjectives
Frequent phrases and idioms:
Examples
à mon avis (in my opinion)
de notre côté (on our side)
pour ma part (for my part)
à votre service (at your service)
Body Parts
Often used with body parts:
Il lève sa main. (He raises his hand.)
Elle ferme ses yeux. (She closes her eyes.)
Family Members
Common with family vocabulary:
ma famille, mes parents, notre grand-mère
Family relationships frequently use possessives
Common Mistakes with Possessive Adjectives
Here are frequent errors students make:
1. Wrong agreement: Agreeing with possessor instead of possessed object
2. Forgetting vowel rule: Using MA instead of MON before feminine vowels
3. Confusing formal/informal: Wrong choice between TON/TA/TES and VOTRE/VOS
4. Number errors: Wrong singular/plural forms
Examples
❌ Marie et son voiture → ✅ Marie et sa voiture
Wrong: must agree with "voiture" (feminine)
❌ ma école → ✅ mon école
Wrong: use MON before feminine words starting with vowels
❌ Monsieur, ton travail → ✅ Monsieur, votre travail
Wrong: use VOTRE in formal situations
❌ leur enfants → ✅ leurs enfants
Wrong: plural noun needs plural possessive