🔑 Possessive Adjectives in French: Explanation and Examples

In French, possessive adjectives (les adjectifs possessifs) show who owns or is related to something.

They work just like “my, your, his, her, our, their” in English — but with one important difference: in French, they must agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe, not the gender of the person who owns it.

This is one of the most important rules to master for building correct French sentences.

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1. What Are Possessive Adjectives?

A possessive adjective always comes before a noun and changes form depending on:

• The person (who owns it: I, you, he, she, etc.).

• The gender and number of the noun being possessed.

👉 Example:

• mon livre → my book (masc. sing.)

• ma maison → my house (fem. sing.)

• mes amis → my friends (plural)

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2. Possessive Adjectives in French

Here’s the full table:

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3. Key Rules to Remember

Rule 1: Agreement with the Noun, Not the Owner

• Paul aime sa mère → Paul loves his mother.

• Marie aime sa mère → Marie loves her mother.

👉 In both cases, it’s sa mère, because mère is feminine.

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Rule 2: Use Mon/Ton/Son Before a Vowel Sound

Even if the noun is feminine, you use mon / ton / son (not ma / ta / sa) before a word starting with a vowel or silent h. This avoids awkward pronunciation.

• mon amie (my friend – feminine)

• ton histoire (your story – feminine)

• son école (his/her school – feminine)

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Rule 3: Plural Is the Same for Both Genders

• mes livres → my books

• mes maisons → my houses

• nos enfants → our children

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4. Examples in Sentences

• C’est mon stylo. → This is my pen.

• Voilà ma voiture. → That’s my car.

• Ce sont mes amis. → These are my friends.

• Tu cherches ton téléphone ? → Are you looking for your phone?

• Où est ta sœur ? → Where is your sister?

• Ce sont tes affaires. → These are your things.

• Il aime son frère. → He loves his brother.

• Elle aime sa sœur. → She loves her sister.

• Ils aiment leurs parents. → They love their parents.

• C’est notre maison. → This is our house.

• Voici vos clés. → Here are your keys.

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5. Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Saying ma amie → ✅ Say mon amie (because amie begins with a vowel).
❌ Forgetting agreement → Remember: ma livre is wrong, it should be mon livre because livre is masculine.

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✅ Quick Recap

• Possessive adjectives in French = show ownership.

• They agree with the noun, not the owner.

• Use mon/ton/son before vowels, even for feminine words.

• Plural forms are the same for both masculine and feminine.

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🎯 Practice Exercise

Translate into French:

1. My house is big.

2. His sister is very nice.

3. Our parents live in Paris.

4. Where are your (plural) friends?

5. Their dog is very small.

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Conclusion

Possessive adjectives in French are essential for everyday conversations.

Once you understand that they agree with the noun owned rather than the owner, you’ll be able to use them naturally in your speech and writing.

👉 Practice tip: Each time you learn a new noun, try using it with mon, ma, mes and son, sa, ses to reinforce the rule.

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TAGS

• Possessive adjectives in French
• French grammar possessive adjectives
• French possessive pronouns vs adjectives
• How to use mon, ma, mes in French
• Examples of possessive adjectives in French

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