Possessive Adjectives
A1
mon/ton/son/notre/votre/leur full table; agreement with the possessed noun, not the owner.
Possessive adjectives table
The possessive agrees with the noun owned, not with the owner.
| Owner | m. sg | f. sg | plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | mon | ma | mes | my |
| tu | ton | ta | tes | your (informal sg) |
| il / elle | son | sa | ses | his / her |
| nous | notre | notre | nos | our |
| vous | votre | votre | vos | your (formal / pl) |
| ils / elles | leur | leur | leurs | their |
Trap 1: son/sa/ses does NOT mean his vs her
Unlike English, French does not encode the owner's gender. son livre can mean his book or her book — context decides. The form follows the gender of livre (masc.).
- Marie reads her book → Marie lit son livre.
- Paul reads his book → Paul lit son livre.
Trap 2: ma/ta/sa → mon/ton/son before vowels
Before a vowel or mute h, use the masculine form for euphony — even with feminine nouns.
- mon amie (not ma amie)
- ton école
- son histoire
Same logic as English a → an before vowels.
Trap 3: leur (sg) vs leurs (pl) vs leur (object pronoun)
- leur maison — their house (one)
- leurs maisons — their houses (several)
- The indirect-object pronoun leur (= to them) never takes s:
- Je leur parle. (pronoun)
- C'est leur problème. (adj., sg)
- Ce sont leurs problèmes. (adj., pl)
Trap 4: notre / votre
Single form for both genders in the singular; plural is nos / vos.
Quick recap
- Agrees with the possessed noun, not the possessor
- Before vowel/mute h: ma/ta/sa → mon/ton/son
- leur(s) inflects as an adjective; leur as an object pronoun never takes s