Concept – Possessive adjectives

(French A1 · Determiners)

---

What are possessive adjectives?

Possessive adjectives are words like:

👉 my, your, his, her, our, their

They are used before a noun to show who owns something.

In French, possessive adjectives agree with the noun,
❗ not with the person who owns it.

---

Forms

Owner	Masculine	Feminine	Plural
my	mon	ma	mes
your (sing.)	ton	ta	tes
his / her	son	sa	ses
our	notre	notre	nos
your (pl./formal)	votre	votre	vos
their	leur	leur	leurs

---

Agreement rule

👉 Possessive adjectives agree with the noun.

mon livre (my book – masculine noun)
ma voiture (my car – feminine noun)
mes amis (my friends – plural noun)

Not with the owner:

son livre = his book / her book
(because livre is masculine)

---

Special rule (vowel or silent h)

Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel or silent h,
ma / ta / sa → mon / ton / son

mon amie
ton école
son histoire

❌ ma amie
❌ sa histoire

This is to avoid two vowel sounds together.

---

Examples

C’est mon frère.
Elle cherche sa clé.
Nous aimons notre professeur.
Ils visitent leurs parents.

---

Common mistakes

❌ sa livre
❌ ma amie
❌ son voiture

✅ son livre
✅ mon amie
✅ sa voiture

---

Summary

• Possessive adjectives come before nouns
• They agree with the noun, not the owner
• Use mon / ton / son before feminine nouns starting with a vowel