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What are Possessive Adjectives?

Possessive adjectives in French (mon, ton, son, notre, votre, leur) indicate who owns or is associated with something. Unlike English, they agree in gender and number with the noun they modify — not with the possessor. This means the same adjective varies: 'mon ami' (masculine) vs 'ma amie' (feminine), and 'ses' can mean both 'his' and 'her'.

Short answer

Possessive adjectives in French modify the noun possessed, agreeing with its gender and number rather than the possessor's — making 'son', 'sa', 'ses' apply to both 'his' and 'her'.

Possessive Adjectives — Gender & Number Agreement

x: Possessor (1st/2nd/3rd person) · y: Examples by Noun GenderSingular Masculine (mon, ton, son, notre, votre, leur)Singular Feminine (ma, ta, sa, notre, votre, leur)Plural (mes, tes, ses, nos, vos, leurs)

Step-by-step worked examples

Which is correct? 'Elle a perdu ____ chats.' (She lost her cats.)

Possessor: elle (3rd person singular — feminine)
Noun: chats (masculine plural)
Possessive adj agrees with noun: plural → use 'ses' (not 'sa')
Correct: 'Elle a perdu ses chats.'

Fill in: 'Je cherche ____ stylo.' (I'm looking for my pen.)

Possessor: je (1st person singular)
Noun: stylo (masculine singular)
Possessive adj agrees with noun: singular masculine → 'mon'
Correct: 'Je cherche mon stylo.'

Which is right? 'Ils ont oublié ____ devoirs.' (They forgot their homework.)

Possessor: ils (3rd person plural)
Noun: devoirs (masculine plural)
Possessive adj with plural noun: 'leurs' (agrees with plural)
Correct: 'Ils ont oublié leurs devoirs.'

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.Complete: 'Elle range ____ affaires.' (She tidies her things.)

Correct answer: C. Noun 'affaires' is feminine plural → 'ses' (plural for all genders).

Q2.Which is correct? 'Tu as oublié ____livre.'

Correct answer: B. Noun 'livre' is masculine singular → 'ton' (masculine singular for 2nd person).

Q3.Choose: 'Nous regardons ____ film préféré.'

Correct answer: B. Noun 'film' is singular → 'notre' (singular for 1st person plural).

Q4.Which shows correct agreement? 'Il aide ____ mère.'

Correct answer: B. Noun 'mère' is feminine singular → 'sa' (feminine singular, regardless of 'il').

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Common mistakes

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Thinking 'son' = 'his' and 'sa' = 'her' — always. — Correct: 'Son', 'sa', 'ses' work for both 'his' and 'her' — agreement is with the noun.

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Using feminine form 'ma' before vowel-starting nouns. — Correct: Use masculine form before vowel: 'mon ami' (not 'ma ami'), 'mon école' (not 'ma école').

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Confusing singular 'notre' with plural 'nos'. — Correct: 'Notre' = singular noun ('notre ami'), 'nos' = plural ('nos amis').

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Forgetting plural 'leurs' (with 's'). — Correct: Use 'leurs' (with 's') for plural; 'leur' (without 's') is indirect object pronoun.

FAQ

What are possessive adjectives in French?

Words (mon, ton, son, etc.) showing who owns something — they agree with the noun possessed, not the possessor.

Why does 'son' mean both 'his' and 'her'?

Because 'son' agrees with the noun it modifies, not the possessor. 'Son ami' (his/her friend — masculine), 'sa mère' (his/her mother — feminine).

What happens before vowel-starting nouns?

Use the masculine form: 'mon ami' (my friend, masculine) instead of 'ma ami'.

Is 'leur' singular or plural?

'Leur' is singular (their + singular noun: 'leur maison'); 'leurs' is plural (their + plural: 'leurs maisons').