Possessive pronouns and determiners in French
- How to use possessive determiners in French
- How to use possessive pronouns in French
- Lingolia Plus French
What are possessives?
Possessive pronouns and determiners (les déterminants et pronoms possessifs) indicate possession or belonging. They agree in gender and number with the noun that they describe (determiners) or replace (pronouns).
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.
Example
Je m’appelle Julie et je cherche mon chapeau. Mon papa dit qu’il y en a un dans le placard, mais ce n’est pas le mien, c’est le sien. Ma maman aussi a un chapeau. Regarde! Le chien porte le sien.
How to use possessive determiners in French
Possessive determiners, also known as possessive adjectives (les adjectifs possessifs) 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:
- Je cherche mon chapeau.I’m looking for my hat.
- Elle cherche son chapeau.She’s looking for her hat.
| 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 |
To Note
Before a vowel or a silent h, the determiners ma, ta, and sa become mon, ton, and son.
- Example:
- Je cherche
maamie.
Je cherche mon amie.I’m looking for my friend.
How to use possessive pronouns in French
Possessive pronouns (les pronoms possessifs) stand alone, without an accompanying noun. Usually, the noun has already been mentioned in the previous sentence and is now replaced with the possessive pronoun, which agrees in number and gender with the noun. Possessive pronouns correspond to the English determiners mine, yours, his, hers etc.
- Example:
- Ce n’est pas mon chapeau, c’est le sien.It’s not my hat, it’s his.
- Je ne trouve pas ma jupe. Est-ce que tu peux me prêter la tienne?I can’t find my skirt. Can you lend me yours?
| 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 |
