By the end of this lesson you'll be able to say "my", "your", "his", "her", "our" and "their" in French, talk about your family, and avoid the mistake English speakers make most often with son and sa.
One word for each kind of noun
So far you've said whose relative someone is with de, in the family lesson: la sœur de Paul. Possessive adjectives give you a shorter way. Like le, la and les, they change to match the noun that comes after them.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mon / ma / mes | mohn / mah / may | my (masculine / feminine / plural) |
| ton / ta / tes | tohn / tah / tay | your, informal (masculine / feminine / plural) |
| son / sa / ses | sohn / sah / say | his, her, its (masculine / feminine / plural) |
| notre / nos | NOH-truh / noh | our (singular / plural) |
| votre / vos | VOH-truh / voh | your, formal or plural (singular / plural) |
| leur / leurs | luhr / luhr | their (singular / plural) |
Read the table across. Each row is one owner, and the form depends on the noun:
- mon père (masculine), ma mère (feminine), mes parents (plural)
- ton frère, ta sœur, tes enfants
- son fils, sa fille, ses grands-parents
The bottom three rows are simpler, because they have only one singular form for both genders: notre père, notre mère, nos parents.
The plural forms all work like the plural article from the lesson on plural nouns. The noun still takes its -s or -x: mes livres, nos gâteaux.
In the sentences below and in the practice, avec means "with".
C'est mon frère.
That's my brother.
Tu es avec ta mère ?
Are you with your mother?
Ce sont nos enfants.
They're our children.
Madame, voici votre clé.
Here's your key, madam.
Your: ton or votre?
French has two sets of words for "your", and they follow the tu/vous choice you already know. Use ton, ta, tes with someone you call tu. Use votre, vos with someone you call vous, or with more than one person.
Keep the choice consistent. If you've said Vous êtes, it should be votre mari, not ton mari.
Mon before a vowel
Ma, ta and sa can't sit directly before a vowel or silent h. Instead of shortening, as la does, they switch to mon, ton, son, even though the noun is feminine.
| French | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mon amie | moh-nah-MEE | my friend (a woman) |
| ton école | toh-nay-KOHL | your school |
| son histoire | soh-nee-STWAHR | his or her story |
C'est mon amie Claire.
That's my friend Claire.
The noun stays feminine, so anything else that describes it will still be feminine. The n of mon links to the vowel. The final s of mes, tes, ses, nos, vos and leurs also links, with a z sound: mes amis, leurs enfants.
Leur or leurs?
Leur goes with one thing that a group shares, and leurs goes with several. The two sound the same.
- Les enfants sont avec leur mère. (one mother)
- Les enfants sont avec leurs parents. (two parents)
Don't confuse leurs with ses. Ses means that one person has several: Paul et ses enfants. Leurs means that several people have several: Paul et Marie et leurs enfants.
If it isn't clear
Because son and sa can mean "his" or "her", a sentence may be unclear. Usually the context settles it. If it doesn't, name the person with de: la mère de Paul, la mère de Marie.
What's next
Mon, ma and mes come up everywhere, starting with the lesson on describing people: Mon père est grand. The lesson on adjective agreement looks at matching descriptions to nouns, and you'll bring the unit together in the review of this unit.