Possessive Adjectives

Why This Matters

"My friend," "your sister," "his book" — possessive adjectives are in every other sentence you'll ever say. Master this one rule and you'll instantly sound more fluent in French conversation.

🦝 Remy says: "Here's the most important thing about French possessives: they agree with the NOUN, not the owner. So 'his sister' and 'her sister' are BOTH 'sa sœur' — because sœur is feminine. The owner's gender is irrelevant. Mind-bending but liberating!"

The Complete Possessive Adjective Chart

| Person | Masculine noun | Feminine noun | Plural noun | English | |

--|

--|

--|

|

| | je (I) | mon | ma | mes | my | | tu (you, informal) | ton | ta | tes | your | | il/elle (he/she) | son | sa | ses | his / her / its | | nous (we) | notre | notre | nos | our | | vous (you, formal/plural) | votre | votre | vos | your | | ils/elles (they) | leur | leur | leurs | their |

Examples in Action

• mon frère [moN frair] — my brother (frère is masculine → mon)
• ma sœur [mah sair] — my sister (sœur is feminine → ma)
• mes parents [may pah-ron] — my parents (plural → mes)
• son livre [soN leev-ruh] — his/her book (livre is masculine → son)
• sa maison [sah may-zoN] — his/her house (maison is feminine → sa)
• ses enfants [say zon-fon] — his/her children (plural → ses)
• notre famille [no-truh fa-mee] — our family
• leurs amis [lairz ah-mee] — their friends

The Vowel Rule — Very Important!

When a feminine noun starts with a vowel or silent H, use the masculine form instead. This avoids two vowel sounds clashing:

| Correct | Why | |

|

--| | mon amie (not ma amie) | amie starts with a vowel | | ton école (not ta école) | école starts with a vowel | | son histoire (not sa histoire) | histoire has a silent H |

This rule applies to mon/ton/son only — the other persons (notre, votre, leur) are already the same for both genders.

🦝 Remy says: "Say 'ma amie' out loud — awkward, right? That's exactly why French changed it to 'mon amie.' French ears hate the hiccup between two vowels. When something sounds smoother, it's probably correct!"

📝 Exercise 1 — Fill in the Blank

Choose the correct possessive adjective.

1. ______ père est médecin. (my, father = masculine)
2. ______ école est grande. (your informal, école = feminine but starts with vowel)
3. Il aime ______ sœurs. (his, sisters = plural)
4. ______ famille est nombreuse. (our, famille = feminine)
5. ______ parents habitent en France. (their, parents = plural)

✅ Answers: 1. Mon  |  2. Ton  |  3. ses  |  4. Notre  |  5. Leurs

📝 Exercise 2 — Make a Sentence

1. Say that your mother is kind. (mother = feminine) → Ma mère est gentille.

2. Say that his dog is small. (chien = masculine) → Son chien est petit.

3. Say that their children go to school. (enfants = plural) → Leurs enfants vont à l'école.

📝 Exercise 3 — Correct the Error

Each sentence has a possessive adjective error. Find and fix it.

1. Sa ami est sympa. → Son ami est sympa. (ami starts with vowel)
2. Mes mère est professeure. → Ma mère est professeure. (mère is singular)
3. Leur enfants jouent. → Leurs enfants jouent. (enfants is plural)
4. Ta histoire est belle. → Ton histoire est belle. (histoire has silent H)
5. Mon sœur s'appelle Léa. → Ma sœur s'appelle Léa. (sœur is feminine, no vowel)

🎯 Today's Challenge

Write five sentences about people in your life using possessive adjectives. Try to use at least three different persons (mon/ma, ton/ta, son/sa, notre, leur). Example: Mon frère habite à Londres. Ma meilleure amie est drôle.

⭐ Key Takeaways

• Possessives agree with the noun's gender, not the owner's gender.
• Before a vowel or silent H, feminine nouns take the masculine form: mon, ton, son.
• Notre / votre / leur are the same for both genders — only plural changes (nos, vos, leurs).