# Possessives

https://langs123.com/en/french/nom-determinants/possessifs/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> **Mon**, **ton**, **son**, **notre**, **votre** and **leur** say whose a thing is and agree with the thing. The possessive agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner: Paul aime **sa** mère. Léa aime **sa** mère.

## Summary

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Form | **mon** / **ma** / **mes**, **ton** / **ta** / **tes**, **votre** / **vos** | Voici **ma** sœur. | This is my sister. |
| Form | **son** / **sa** / **ses**, **notre** / **nos**, **leur** / **leurs** | Léa aime **sa** sœur. | Léa likes her sister. |
| Agreement | the possessive agrees with the thing owned: **mon** frère, **ma** sœur, **mes** parents | Voici **mes** parents. | These are my parents. |
| Politeness | **vous**: **votre**, **vos** | Quel est **votre** nom ? | What is your name? |
| The named owner | noun + **de** + noun, with no **’s** | C’est le chat **de** Léa. | It's Léa's cat. |
| The body | a part of the body: the definite article, not the possessive | Il lève **la** main. | He raises his hand. |
| A friend of mine | **un** / **une** + **de** + **mes** / **tes** / **ses** / **nos** / **vos** / **leurs** + plural noun | Marc est **un de mes** amis. | Marc is a friend of mine. |
| Vowel | **mon**, **ton**, **son** before a vowel, even for feminine nouns: **mon amie** | **Mon** amie s’appelle Léa. | My friend is called Léa. |
| One owner or several | one owner: **son**, **sa**, **ses**; several: **leur**, **leurs** | Paul et Léa aiment **leurs** parents. | Paul and Léa love their parents. |
| Trap | the possessive replaces the article: **mon** sac, not **le mon sac** | J’ai perdu **mon** sac. | I've lost my bag. |
| Trap | **son** follows the noun, not the owner: Léa aime **son** père | Léa aime **son** père. | Léa loves her father. |

## Overview

- The possessive agrees in gender and number with the thing owned, never with the owner. **Mon** frère. / **Ma** sœur. / **Mes** parents. (My brother. / My sister. / My parents.)
- The possessive replaces the article: one word before the noun. J’ai perdu **mon** sac. / Elle aime **sa** ville. (I've lost my bag. / She loves her city.)
- For the articles the possessive replaces, see Articles.

## Form: the possessives

| Person | masculine | feminine | plural |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| je | **mon** | **ma** | **mes** |
| tu | **ton** | **ta** | **tes** |
| il / elle / on | **son** | **sa** | **ses** |
| nous | **notre** | **notre** | **nos** |
| vous | **votre** | **votre** | **vos** |
| ils / elles | **leur** | **leur** | **leurs** |

- Before a vowel or a mute h, **mon**, **ton** and **son** replace **ma**, **ta** and **sa**. **Mon** amie / **ton** école / **son** histoire (my friend / your school / his story)
- **Leur** takes an **s** only before a plural noun. **leur** maison / **leurs** maisons (their house / their houses)
- To know when to say **tu** and when **vous**, see Forms of Address: tu and vous.

## Pronunciation: the possessives

| Person | masculine | feminine | plural |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| je | /mɔ̃/ | /ma/ | /me/ |
| tu | /tɔ̃/ | /ta/ | /te/ |
| il / elle / on | /sɔ̃/ | /sa/ | /se/ |
| nous | /nɔtʁ/ | /nɔtʁ/ | /no/ |
| vous | /vɔtʁ/ | /vɔtʁ/ | /vo/ |
| ils / elles | /lœʁ/ | /lœʁ/ | /lœʁ/ |

- **Notre** and **votre** have an open o, **nos** and **vos** a closed o. **notre** /nɔtʁ/ maison · **nos** /no/ maisons (our house / our houses)
- Before a vowel, **mes**, **tes**, **ses**, **nos**, **vos** and **leurs** link with a /z/. **mes** amis /me zami/ · **leurs** enfants /lœʁ zɑ̃fɑ̃/ (my friends / their children)
- For all liaisons, see Liaison and Elision.

## Use: the possessives

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Introducing your family | Voici **ma** sœur. / **Mon** père s’appelle Marc. | This is my sister. / My father is called Marc. |
| Asking a question | Quel est **votre** nom ? / Comment s’appelle **ton** chien ? | What is your name? / What is your dog called? |
| What you have, what you like | J’ai perdu **mon** sac. / Nous aimons **notre** maison. | I've lost my bag. / We love our house. |
| One owner: he or she | Paul aime **sa** mère. / Léa aime **sa** mère. / Léa cherche **son** sac. | Paul loves his mother. / Léa loves her mother. / Léa is looking for her bag. |
| Several owners | Paul et Léa aiment **leurs** parents. / Ils ont **leur** voiture. | Paul and Léa love their parents. / They have their car. |
| A named owner: the word de | C’est le chat **de** Léa. / La mère **de** Paul est ici. | It's Léa's cat. / Paul's mother is here. |
| A named owner with le, les | Le sac **du** professeur. / La voiture **des** voisins. | The teacher's bag. / The neighbours' car. |
| A part of the body | Il ferme **les** yeux. / J’ai mal **à la** tête. | He closes his eyes. / My head hurts. |
| One among several | Marc est **un de mes** amis. / Elle est **une de mes** voisines. | Marc is a friend of mine. / She is one of my neighbours. |
| On for nous | On prend **notre** voiture. / On a oublié **nos** clés. | We are taking our car. / We've forgotten our keys. |

- For **du** and **des** (de + **le**, **les**), see Articles.
- To say whose something is with **à moi**, **à toi**, see Stressed Pronouns.

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mon sœur s’appelle Léa. | **Ma** sœur s’appelle Léa. | **sœur** is feminine: **ma sœur** |
| Ma amie est ici. | **Mon** amie est ici. | before a vowel, **mon** even for feminine nouns: **mon amie** |
| Marie aime sa père. | Marie aime **son** père. | the possessive follows the noun, not the owner: **père** is masculine, so **son père** even for Marie |
| Ils aiment leur parents. | Ils aiment **leurs** parents. | **leurs** before a plural noun |
| Nous avons notre enfants. | Nous avons **nos** enfants. | **nos** before a plural noun |
| J’ai mal à ma tête. | J’ai mal **à la** tête. | a part of the body takes the definite article: **la tête**, not “my head” |
| Marc est un ami de moi. | Marc est **un de mes** amis. | “a friend of mine” is **un de mes amis** |