French possessive adjectiv

See also: Adjectif and Adjective Types

Possessive adjectives indicate ownership or possession. The English

possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, its, our, and their

French has many more possessive adjectives because they have to

agree in number and sometimes gender with their nouns

Singular subjects have three possessive adjectives: masculine,

feminine, plura

• my = mon, ma, mes

• your = ton, ta, tes
• his = son, sa, ses
• her = son, sa, ses
• its = son, sa, ses
Plural subjects have just two: singular, plura
l

 Using "mon" rather than "ma" with feminine nouns starting with a vowel
or mute H

In most cases, you use the possessive adjectives ma, ta, or sa with
a feminine noun (ma valise, ma petite sœur). See Mon, ma, mes; ton,
ta, tes; son, sa, ses = my; your; his / her (possessive adjectives)

HOWEVER, you need to know two things

1. The possessive adjective's ending is always determined by the

word directly following it.

2. You never use ma, ta, sa in front of a word starting with a vowel
or mute h, even if the related noun is feminine: you use mon, ton,
son instead, to ease pronunciation.
Here are the different contexts where this rule matters

mon / ton / son + feminine noun starting with a vowel/mute

mon ami Thomas et mon amie Sarahmy friend Thomas and my friend
Sara
Mon aventure est une aventure passionnante.My adventure is an
exciting adventure
J'ai une horloge qui est plus grande que ton horloge.I have a clock
which is bigger than your clock
Son opinion est une opinion intéressante.His opinion is an interesting
opinion
When ma, ta, sa is followed directly by a feminine noun starting with a
vowel or mute h, it becomes mon, ton, son
ma / ta / sa + adjective starting with a consonant + feminine
noun starting with a vowel/mute
C'est ton amie ? - Non, c'est ma petite amie.She is your friend? - No,
she is my girlfriend
Il se souvient de son enfance, sa belle enfance.He remembers his
childhood, his beautiful childhood
 

 C'est mon hypothèse. - Oui, ta mauvaise hypothèse !That's my

hypothesis. - Yes, your bad hypothesis
If ma, ta, sa is followed directly by an adjective starting with a
consonant, even if the related feminine noun starts with a vowel or mute
h, it remains ma, ta, sa
mon / ton / son + adjective starting with a vowel/mute h +
feminine nou
J'ai goûté ton excellente tarte aux pommes !I tried your excellent apple
tart
Tu as rencontré mon horrible tante ?Have you met my horrible aunt
Tu as vu son énorme verrue?Did you see her huge wart
If ma, ta, sa is followed directly by an adjective starting with a vowel or
mute h, even if the related feminine noun starts with a
consonant, it becomes mon, ton, son
!

 Using mom, ma, mes with body part

Normally the de nite article (le/la/les) is used with body parts (j'ai mal
à la tête

See Using le, la, les with body parts and clothing (de nite articles)

However, in the following special cases:

• when special emphasis on the body part is desired, or

• when another person is involved

the possessive adjective (sa,son,ta,ton etc.) is used instead of the

de nite article (le/la/les) to reduce ambiguity

Montre-moi tes mains! Show me your hands

J'ai pris sa mainI took her han
Regarde son nez! Look at his nose

Also, when the body part is the subject of the verb (rather than the
object), possessive adjectives are used

J'ai mal à la tête.My head hurts

BUT

Ma tête me fait mal.My head hurts

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