Understanding French Possessive Adjectives

Watch my tutorial here

French Possessive Adjective Chart

What are Possessive Adjectives?

Possessive adjectives are words that show who something belongs to. In French, these words change based on the gender and number of the thing you’re talking about.

Possessive Adjectives in French

In French, when you want to say “my car” or “his/her car,” you say “ma voiture” – my car OR “sa voiture” – his/her car. In French, the possessive adjective agrees in gender to “voiture” because “voiture” is feminine. That’s why we say “ma voiture” and not “mon voiture”.

For example:

• C’est mon livre. (It’s my book.)
• Voici sa voiture. (Here is his/her car.)
• Notre maison est grande. (Our house is big.)
• Regardez leurs chats. (Look at their cats.)
• Ta sœur adore la musique. (Your sister loves music.)
• Ils ont leur restaurant préféré. (They have their favorite restaurant.)
• J’aime votre idée. (I like your idea.)
• Voilà ma voiture. (There is my car.)
• Elle a son sac rouge. (She has her red bag.)
• Nous aimons nos vacances. (We love our holidays.)

Every French Word Has a Gender

In French, everything has a gender – even things like cars! A car is feminine. You may what to ask? How do I know the gender of French words? Watch my video tutorial here.

• His book: Son livre (because “livre” is masculine)
• Her table: Sa table (because “table” is feminine)

Exceptions

• Before a Feminine Noun Starting with a Vowel or Silent ‘H’:

• Instead of “ma,” “ta,” or “sa,” you use “mon,” “ton,” or “son” to avoid the clash of vowels.
  • “Mon amie” (My friend – feminine) instead of “Ma amie.”
  • “Mon hôtel” (My hotel – masculine) instead of “Ma hôtel.”
  • “Son université” (Her university – feminine) instead of “Sa université.”
  • “Son héroïne” (His heroine – feminine) instead of “Sa héroïne.”

Click here to do the quiz