Possessive Pronouns & Determiners in French
What are possessive pronouns and determiners?
A pronoun replaces a noun (or a noun phrase) in a sentence, while a determiner accompanies the noun to add information. Once classified as adjectives, determiners are now considered a category of their own. There are different types of pronouns and determiners. Here, we will focus on the possessive forms.
Possessive pronouns and determiners (pronoms et déterminants possessifs) indicate ownership or possession and agree in gender and number. Mon, ta, ses and les nôtres are examples.
- Example:
- C’est mon fauteuil.It’s my armchair.
- the determiner mon accompanies the noun fauteuil
- Ce n’est pas le sien.It’s not his/hers.
- the pronoun le sien replaces the noun fauteuil
Learn all about possessive pronouns and determiners in French grammar with Lingolia’s quick and easy examples, then put your knowledge to the test in the free exercises.
Contents
J’ai la chance de pouvoir télétravailler deux jours par semaine. J’aime m'installer dans mon fauteuil préféré, à côté de la fenêtre.
Mon chat, Manuel, croit que c’est son fauteuil. Mais il est temps qu’il apprenne que c’est le mien et non le sien !
Heureusement, il n’est jamais fâché très longtemps. Au bout de cinq minutes, il vient s’installer sur mes épaules. Ce n’est pas très pratique pour travailler, mais c’est ma faute, je devrais choisir un autre fauteuil.
How to use possessive pronouns in French
Possessive pronouns (pronoms possessifs) stand alone, without an accompanying noun.
The possessive pronoun replaces a previously mentioned noun, and agree with it in terms of number and gender.
The French possessive pronouns correspond to the English words mine, yours, his, hers etc.
- Examples:
- Manuel croit que c’est son fauteil. Mais il est temps qu’il apprenne que c’est le mien et non le sien ! Manuel thinks this is his chair. But it’s time he learns that it’s mine, not his!
- the possessive pronouns refer back to the masculine singular noun le fauteil
| Person | Singular | Plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masculine | Feminine | Masculine | Feminine | |
| 1st person singular | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
| 2nd person singular | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
| 3rd person singular | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
| 1st person plural | le nôtre | la nôtre | les nôtres | les nôtres |
| 2nd person plural | le vôtre | la vôtre | les vôtres | les vôtres |
| 3rd person plural | le leur | la leur | les leurs | les leurs |
How to use possessive determiners in French
Possessive determiners (déterminants possessifs), formerly known as possessive adjectives, always come before a noun and agree with it in terms of gender and number.
The plural forms are the same for both masculine and feminine. Possessive determiners correspond to the English words my, your, his, hers etc.
- Examples:
- Mon chat croit que c’est son fauteil. My cat thinks it is his chair.
- Il vient s’installer sur mes épaules. He comes and sits on my shoulders.
- C’est ma faute. It’s my fault.
The table below shows all possessive determiners in French:
| Person | Masculine | Feminine | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st person singular | mon | ma | mes |
| 2nd person singular | ton | ta | tes |
| 3rd person singular | son | sa | ses |
| 1st person plural | notre | notre | nos |
| 2nd person plural | votre | votre | vos |
| 3rd person plural | leur | leur | leurs |
Good to know
Before a vowel or a silent h, the determiners ma, ta, and sa become mon, ton, and son.
- Example:
- Manuel s’est installé sur mon épaule. Manuel is sitting on my shoulder.
- not:
sur ma épaule
