A possessive adjective is a word that shows who something belongs to or is connected with. English uses words such as my, your, his, her, our, and their.
French uses possessive adjectives for the same kinds of relationships, but the form depends on both the owner and the gender and number of the noun.
For information on how adjectives match nouns, see Adjective agreement.
Possessive adjective forms
French possessive adjectives depend on who the owner is and on the gender and number of the noun:
| Owner | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| je (my) | mon | ma | mes |
| tu (your) | ton | ta | tes |
| il / elle / on (his, her, one's) | son | sa | ses |
| nous (our) | notre | notre | nos |
| vous (your) | votre | votre | vos |
| ils / elles (their) | leur | leur | leurs |
The possessive changes according to the noun being described:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Voici mon frère. | This is my brother. |
| Elle cherche sa sœur. | She is looking for her sister. |
| Tu as oublié tes clés. | You forgot your keys. |
| Nous visitons notre grand-mère. | We are visiting our grandmother. |
| Vous connaissez vos voisins. | You know your neighbors. |
| Ils vendent leur maison. | They are selling their house. |
| Elles retrouvent leurs amis. | They meet their friends again. |
French possessive adjectives agree with the noun, not with the gender of the owner. Son frère can therefore mean his brother or her brother, while sa sœur can mean his sister or her sister.
With leur and leurs, the number of the noun determines the form. Use leur before a singular noun and leurs before a plural noun.
Possessive adjectives with on
The subject pronoun on can mean we in informal French or refer to people in general.
When on means we, use notre or nos. When on refers to people in general, use son, sa, or ses:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| On est chez notre grand-mère. | We're at our grandmother's house. |
| On retrouve nos amis ce soir. | We're meeting our friends tonight. |
| Quand on vieillit, on pense à son passé. | As one gets older, one thinks about one's past. |
| On doit respecter ses voisins. | One should respect one's neighbors. |
The meaning of on determines which possessive form to use.
Body parts and the definite article
French often uses the definite articles le, la, and les with body parts instead of a possessive adjective.
This is common when the sentence already makes the owner clear:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| J'ai mal à la tête. | I have a headache. |
| Elle se lave les mains. | She washes her hands. |
| Il ferme les yeux. | He closes his eyes. |
| Nous levons les bras. | We raise our arms. |
When the owner is already clear, a possessive adjective can sound unnatural:
| Unnatural | Natural |
|---|---|
| J'ai mal à ma tête. | J'ai mal à la tête. |
| Elle se lave ses mains. | Elle se lave les mains. |
A possessive adjective is still appropriate when the body part itself is the subject or when ownership needs to be emphasized:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Ma tête est brûlante. | My head is burning hot. |
| Ses yeux sont bleus. | His or her eyes are blue. |
Possessive adjectives before a vowel or silent h
Before a feminine singular noun beginning with a vowel or silent h, ma, ta, and sa change to mon, ton, and son:
| Regular feminine form | Before a vowel or silent h |
|---|---|
| ma | mon |
| ta | ton |
| sa | son |
The special form appears immediately before the noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est mon amie. | She is my friend. |
| Tu as oublié ton adresse. | You forgot your address. |
| Elle explique son idée. | She explains her idea. |
| Je comprends ton erreur. | I understand your mistake. |
| Il remarque son hésitation. | He notices her hesitation. |
Although amie, adresse, and idée are feminine nouns, French uses mon, ton, and son before a vowel or silent h.
The change applies only when the possessive immediately precedes that word. French therefore uses ma petite amie because petite begins with a consonant.
Aspirated h
French distinguishes between silent h (h muet) and aspirated h (h aspiré).
Before an aspirated h, ma, ta, and sa keep their regular feminine forms:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| ma honte | my shame |
| ta hache | your axe |
| sa harpe | his or her harp |
The same distinction affects liaison and elision. Demonstrative adjectives also distinguish between silent and aspirated h. See Demonstrative adjectives.
The liaison with possessive adjectives
When a possessive adjective ends in a normally silent consonant and the following noun begins with a vowel or silent h, liaison connects the two words.
The final consonant is pronounced in combinations such as:
| French | English | Liaison |
|---|---|---|
| mon‿ami | my friend | n |
| ton‿adresse | your address | n |
| son‿idée | his or her idea | n |
| mes‿amis | my friends | z |
| nos‿enfants | our children | z |
| leurs‿habitudes | their habits | z |
Liaison does not occur before an aspirated h:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| mon héros | my hero |
| mes héros préférés | my favorite heroes |
Because the written letter h does not show whether it is silent or aspirated, the pronunciation of an unfamiliar word may need to be checked in a dictionary.
From learning to practice
When reading or listening to French, notice how possessive adjectives connect people with family members, belongings, and other things. Pay particular attention to the gender and number of the noun rather than the gender of the owner.
Practice using mon, ma, mes, notre, and the other possessive forms with familiar people and objects. Notice when French uses a definite article with body parts and when a possessive changes before a vowel or silent h.