What is a possessive adjective?
In English a possessive adjective is one of the words my, your, his, her, its, our or their used with a noun to show that one person or thing belongs to another.
- Here are the French possessive adjectives. Like all French adjectives, these agree with the noun they refer to.
| with masculine singular noun | with feminine singular noun | with plural noun (masculine or feminine) | Meaning |
| mon | ma (mon) | mes | my |
| ton | ta (ton) | tes | your |
| son | sa (son) | ses | his her its one’s |
| notre | notre | nos | our |
| votre | votre | vos | your |
| leur | leur | leurs | their |
TipYou use mon, ton and son with feminine singular nouns in front of words that begin with a vowel and most words beginning with h. This makes them easier to say.
| mon assiette | my plate |
| ton histoire | your story |
| son erreur | his/her mistake |
| mon autre sœur | my other sister |
- Possessive adjectives come BEFORE the noun they describe.
| Voilà mon mari. | There’s my husband. |
| Mon frère et ma sœur habitent à Glasgow. | My brother and sister live in Glasgow. |
| Est-ce que tes voisins vendent leur maison? | Are your neighbours selling their house? |
| Rangez vos affaires. | Put your things away. |
TipPossessive adjectives agree with what they describe, NOT with the person who owns that thing. For example, sa can mean his, her, its and one’s, but can only ever be used with a feminine singular noun.
| Paul cherche sa montre. | Paul’s looking for his watch. |
| Paul cherche ses lunettes. | Paul’s looking for his glasses. |
| Catherine a appelé son frère. | Catherine called her brother. |
| Catherine a appelé sa sœur. | Catherine called her sister. |
- The equivalent of your in French is ton/ta/tes for someone you call tu, or votre/vos for someone you call vous.
- Note that possessive adjectives are not normally used with parts of the body. Use le, la, l’ or les instead.
| J’ai mal à la main. | My hand hurts. |
Key points
- The French possessive adjectives are:
- mon/ton/son/notre/votre/leur in the masculine singular
- ma/ta/sa/notre/votre/leur in the feminine singular
- mes/tes/ses/nos/vos/leurs in the plural
- Possessive adjectives come before the noun they refer to. They agree with what they describe, rather than with the person who owns that thing.
- You use mon, ton and son with feminine singular nouns when the following word begins with a vowel. You also use them with most words beginning with h.
- Possessive adjectives are not normally used with parts of the body. Use le, la, l’ or les instead.