Complete Guide to French Possessive Adjectives

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Solutions on Unsplash

 

2024.06.14 - [French Grammar] - Overview of French Adjectives

Overview of French Adjectives

반응형

 

French possessive adjectives are the equivalent of "my", "your", "his", "her", etc. in English, placed before a noun to indicate ownership. The form of the possessive adjective depends on the person, gender of the possessor, and the gender and number of the possessed noun.

 

1. First Person Singular (My)

 

• mon (mohn): Before masculine singular nouns
  • Mon frère est étudiant. (mohn frair ay ay-tü-dee-ahn) - My brother is a student.
• ma (mah): Before feminine singular nouns
  • Ma sœur est médecin. (mah sir ay mayd-sahn) - My sister is a doctor.
• mes (may): Before plural nouns
  • Mes parents habitent à Paris. (may pah-rahn a-beet ah pa-ree) - My parents live in Paris.

 

2. Second Person Singular (Your)

 

• ton (tohn): Before masculine singular nouns
  • Ton livre est sur la table. (tohn leevr ay syur lah tah-bluh) - Your book is on the table.
• ta (tah): Before feminine singular nouns
  • Ta voiture est rouge. (tah vwa-tyur ay roozh) - Your car is red.
• tes (tay): Before plural nouns
  • Tes amis sont sympas. (tay za-mee sohn sahn-pah) - Your friends are nice.

 

3. Third Person Singular (His/Her/Its)

 

• son (sohn): Before masculine singular nouns
  • Son chien s'appelle Max. (sohn shee-ahn sa-pel max) - His dog is called Max.
• sa (sah): Before feminine singular nouns
  • Sa maison est grande. (sah may-zohn ay grahnd) - Her house is big.
• ses (say): Before plural nouns
  • Ses enfants sont encore petits. (say zahn-fahn sohn ahn-kor puh-tee) - His/Her children are still young.

 

4. First Person Plural (Our)

 

• notre (noh-truh): Before masculine/feminine singular nouns
  • Notre chat est noir. (noh-truh shah ay nwahr) - Our cat is black.
• nos (noh): Before plural nouns
  • Nos voisins sont très gentils. (noh vwa-zahn sohn tray zhahn-tee) - Our neighbors are very nice.

 

5. Second Person Plural (Your)

 

• votre (voh-truh): Before masculine/feminine singular nouns
  • Votre opinion est importante. (voh-truh oh-pee-nee-ohn ay ahn-por-tahnt) - Your opinion is important.
• vos (voh): Before plural nouns
  • Vos idées sont intéressantes. (voh zee-day sohn ahn-tay-ray-sahnt) - Your ideas are interesting.

 

6. Third Person Plural (Their)

 

• leur (lur): Before masculine/feminine singular nouns
  • Leur professeur est très compétent. (lur pro-feh-ser ay tray kohn-pay-tahn) - Their teacher is very competent.
• leurs (lur): Before plural nouns
  • Leurs enfants vont à l'école. (lur zahn-fahn vohn ah lay-kohl) - Their children go to school.

 

7. Special Rule

 

• Before feminine singular nouns starting with a vowel or silent h, use mon, ton, son instead of ma, ta, sa. (e.g., mon amie, ton histoire, son habitude)