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Last updated:
March 23, 2023
Hey, is this your coffee? Really? Because I don’t hear you saying it’s yours…
If French possessive adjectives are giving you trouble—don’t sweat it!
Read on for a full review of the French possessive adjectives, when and how to use them, some examples and some special rules.
Contents
- What Are the French Possessive Adjectives?
- When to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
- How to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
- French Possessive Adjectives in Action
-
- Mon / Ma / Mes (My)
- Ton / Ta / Tes (Your)
- Son / Sa / Ses (His/Her)
- Notre / Nos (Our)
- Votre / Vos (Your [plural])
- Leur / Leurs (Their)
- Exception: Feminine Possessive Adjectives and Vowels
- One Last Rule: Everything Needs a Possessive Adjective
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What Are the French Possessive Adjectives?
Singular French possessive adjectives:
First person “my” is mon, ma or mes.
Second person “your” is ton, ta or tes.
Third person “his” or “her” is son, sa or ses.
And the plural French possessive adjectives:
First person “our” is notre or nos.
Second person “your” is votre or vos.
Third person “their” is leur or leurs.
When to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
Possession indicates who an object belongs to.
It’s important to be able to indicate possession when dealing with food and drinks, or other stuff you don’t want people grabbing out of your hand.
For example, I might say:
“Hey! That’s my coffee!”
You know you better back away because that coffee belongs to me, I intend to drink it and I may get grumpy if you take it from me.
How to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
These words are called possessive adjectives because they modify the following noun in the same way that regular adjectives do (i.e., in “the red house,” “house” is a noun and it’s modified by the adjective “red”).
When used properly, French possessive adjectives:
- go before the noun they’re modifying
- replace articles such as le, la or les (the)
For example, to show that le café (the coffee) is specifically my coffee, I would say mon café (my coffee).
But, wait! There’s more.
Remember that French possessive adjectives have different forms based on ALL of the following:
- the possessor (i.e., the person who owns the object)
- the gender of the noun
- whether the noun is singular or plural
French Possessive Adjectives in Action
Let’s review the forms of the French possessive adjectives:
| French | For use with… | English |
|---|---|---|
| mon | Singular masculine nouns | my |
| ma | Singular feminine nouns | my |
| mes | All plural nouns | my |
| ton | Singular masculine nouns | your |
| ta | Singular feminine nouns | your |
| tes | All plural nouns | your |
| son | Singular masculine nouns | his/her |
| sa | Singular feminine nouns | his/her |
| ses | All plural nouns | his/her |
| notre | All singular nouns | our |
| nos | All plural nouns | our |
| votre | All singular nouns | your (plural) |
| vos | All plural nouns | your (plural) |
| leur | All singular nouns | their |
| leurs | All plural nouns | their |
Clearly, there’s a lot of information to consider when choosing which to use. Let’s take a look at examples!
Mon / Ma / Mes (My)
The English word “my” signifies that the noun belongs to the speaker. In French, that’s the je (I) of the conversation.
So for French masculine words, we say mon (my). For feminine words, we say ma (my). And for plural words, masculine or feminine, we say mes (my).
- C’est mon café ! (It’s my coffee!)
- Où est ma règle ? (Where is my ruler?)
- Ce sont mes livres. (Those are my books.)
Ton / Ta / Tes (Your)
The word “your” in English means that the following noun belongs to the tu (you) in the conversation.
In this case, if the following word is masculine, we say ton (your). If the word is feminine, we say ta (your). And if the word is plural, we say tes (your) for both masculine and feminine nouns.
- Ceci est ton café ! (That one is your coffee!)
- Où est ta voiture ? (Where is your car?)
- Où sont tes clés ? (Where are your keys?)
Note: To keep things simple in this post, I’ll use tu as the singular “you” and vous as the plural “you all.” It’s a little more complicated than that once you get into formal French, however, so be sure to check into that.
Son / Sa / Ses (His/Her)
Unlike English, French does not distinguish between “his” and “her” when it comes to possession. The French possessive adjective only changes depending on the gender or plurality of the following noun.
Son means “his” or “her” and is for masculine nouns. Sa means “his” or “her” and is for feminine nouns. Finally, ses means “his” or “her” and is for masculine and feminine nouns in the plural.
- Non, c’est son café ! (No, that’s his/her coffee!)
- Où est sa télévision ? (Where is his/her television?)
- Cherche ses clés ! (Look for his/her keys!)
Notre / Nos (Our)
Ah, simplicity! Well, kinda…
To say “our” in French, we use notre for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. For plural nouns, we use nos.
- C’est notre café ! (It’s our coffee!)
- Voilà notre télévision. (There’s our television.)
- Est-ce que vous voudriez lire nos livres ? (Would you like to read our books?)
Votre / Vos (Your [plural])
The simplicity continues.
To say that something belongs to “you all” in French, use votre (your) for both masculine and feminine singular nouns. For plural nouns, use vos.
- Où est votre stylo ? (Where is your pen?)
- Est-ce que ceci est votre voiture ? (Is this your car?)
- Ce sont vos cafés. (These are your coffees.)
Leur / Leurs (Their)
Lastly, the possessive adjectives leur and leurs mean “their.”
Leur is for both masculine and feminine singular nouns, and leurs is for both masculine and feminine plural nouns.
- Oui, c’est leur stylo. (Yes, it’s their pen.)
- Où est leur télévision ? (Where is their television?)
- Ce sont leurs cafés. (These are their coffees.)
Exception: Feminine Possessive Adjectives and Vowels
What would a French grammatical construction be without an exception?
The feminine possessive adjectives ma (my), ta (your) and sa (his/her) are special in the sense that they cannot be used in front of a noun that starts with a vowel. This is similar to the way le or la (the) must become l’ in front of a vowel.
The feminine possessive adjectives take the form of masculine possessive adjectives when used in front of a feminine noun that begins with a French vowel.
In short, ma (my), ta (your) and sa (his/her) become mon (my), ton (your) and son (his/her) respectively before a vowel.
For example:
- C’est mon amie. (She’s my friend.)
Amie is feminine, but we cannot put ma in front of it, so we must use mon.
- Je vais à ton école. (I’m going to your school.)
École is feminine, but we cannot put ta in front of it, so we must use ton.
- Quelle est son idée ? (What’s his/her idea?)
Idée is feminine, but we cannot put sa in front of it, so we must use son.
One Last Rule: Everything Needs a Possessive Adjective
Unlike in English, every French noun in a list must have its own possessive adjective, even if the possessors are the same.
In English, we can say:
“Where are my book and cup?”
In French, however, we must say:
“Où sont mon livre et ma tasse?”
For more practice with French possessive adjectives, check out FluentU. The authentic French videos will allow you to hear possessive adjectives as they sound in conversation.
FluentU’s interactive subtitles can help if you get stuck—hover over any word to see its definition, or click on it for a contextual explanation, example sentences and more.
Besides the desktop version, FluentU can be used as an app on iOS and Android devices.
It’s time to make French possessive adjectives your own!
(Just remember that’s my coffee, please and thank you.)
Download:
This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you
can take anywhere.
Click here to get a copy. (Download)
adj son (sa) , ses pl
→ His face was very red.
→ He took the scissors from his wife.
→ His children are all grown-up.
→ He spent most of his career in Hollywood.
his father son père
his mother sa mère
his parents ses parents
his friend (male)
son ami
(female)
son amie
He’s going to wash his hair. Il va se laver les cheveux.
He’s cleaning his teeth. Il se brosse les dents.
He’s hurt his foot. Il s’est fait mal au pied.
pron le (la) sien (ne) , les siens (siennes) pl
→ My work is every bit as good as his.
«Is this his coat?» — «No, his is black.» «C’est son manteau?» — «Non, le sien est noir.»
«Is this his car?» — «No, his is white.» «C’est sa voiture?» — «Non, la sienne est blanche.»
my parents and his mes parents et les siens
my reasons and his mes raisons et les siennes
These are his. Ce sont les siens (siennes) .
This is his. C’est à lui., C’est le sien.
Is this his? C’est à lui?
This book is his. Ce livre est à lui.
«Whose is this?» — «It’s his.» «C’est à qui?» — «À lui.»
a friend of his un ami à lui
→ A close friend of his tells me that he is a great cook.
what’s-his-name , whatshisname, whatsisname
*
n Machin * m
→ … the new junior minister, whatsisname, Donald Sinclair.
Translation English — French Collins Dictionary 
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WordReference English-French Dictionary © 2023:
| Principales traductions | ||
| Anglais | Français | |
| his adj | (he, him: possessive form) | son + [nm], sa + [nf], ses + [npl] adj poss |
| I like his new hat. | ||
| J’aime bien son nouveau chapeau. | ||
| his pron | (thing, things belonging to him) | le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes pron |
| (avec «être», moins soutenu) | à lui pron | |
| Is this hat yours or his? | ||
| Et ce chapeau, c’est le tien ou le sien ? | ||
| Et ce chapeau, c’est à toi ou à lui ? | ||
| his pron | (belonging to him) | le sien, la sienne pron |
| (avec «être», moins soutenu) | à lui pron | |
| That’s my pillow; his is under the bed. | ||
| Are those your socks or his? | ||
| Ça, c’est mon oreiller. Le sien est sous le lit. // Ce sont tes chaussettes ou les siennes ? | ||
| Ces chaussettes sont à lui ou à toi ? |
| Traductions supplémentaires | ||
| Anglais | Français | |
| his pron | (belonging to him: plural) | les siens, les siennes pron |
| (avec «être», moins soutenu) | à lui pron | |
| Are those your socks or his? | ||
| Ce sont tes chaussettes ou les siennes ? | ||
| Ces chaussettes sont à toi ou à lui ? |
WordReference English-French Dictionary © 2023:
| Formes composées his |
||
| Anglais | Français | |
| against his will, against her will adv |
(in opposition to wishes) | contre son gré loc adv |
| Abby was taken to the cabin in the woods against her will. | ||
| bring [sb] to his/her/their knees v expr | figurative (force into submission) (figuré) | mettre [qch/qqn] à genoux loc v |
| deep down in his heart adv | (his conscience) | en son for intérieur, dans son for intérieur loc adv |
| (tout) au fond de soi loc adv | ||
| Deep down in his heart he knew what he had done was wrong. | ||
| En son for intérieur, il savait que ce qu’il avait fait était mal. | ||
| Au fond de lui, il savait que ce qu’il avait fait était mal. | ||
| drive [sb] out of his mind, drive [sb] out of her mind v expr |
figurative, informal (annoy) (énerver) | rendre fou, rendre folle vtr + adj |
| (familier) | taper sur les nerfs de [qqn] loc v | |
| (familier) | rendre dingue vtr + adj | |
| The baby’s constant crying drove James out of his mind. | ||
| Les pleurs constants du bébé rendaient James fou. | ||
| drive [sb] out of his mind, drive [sb] out of her mind v expr |
figurative, informal (arouse sexually) (exciter) | rendre fou, rendre folle vtr + adj |
| (figuré) | faire perdre la tête à [qqn] loc v | |
| Watching you sunbathe used to drive me out of my mind. | ||
| Te regarder bronzer me rendait fou. | ||
| Te regarder bronzer me faisait perdre la tête. | ||
| each to their own, each to his own, each to her own expr |
(everyone has their own preferences) | chacun ses goûts expr |
| Every dog has his day, Every dog has its day expr |
figurative (everyone will succeed) | La roue tourne expr |
| give [sb] a taste of his/her/their own medicine, give [sb] a dose of his/her/their own medicine v expr |
figurative (punish [sb] using their own methods) | rendre la monnaie de sa pièce à [qqn], rendre la pareille à [qqn] loc v |
| (Can) | faire goûter à [qqn] à sa propre médecine loc v | |
| give [sb] his walking papers, give [sb] her walking papers v expr |
US, slang (termination of employment) | renvoyer⇒, licencier⇒ vtr |
| (familier) | virer⇒ vtr | |
| (soutenu) | congédier⇒ vtr | |
| mettre à la porte vtr | ||
| After Smith’s plan went badly wrong his boss gave him his walking papers. | ||
| give the devil his due v expr | informal (give credit to [sb] you dislike) | reconnaître [qch] à [qqn] (que l’on n’aime pas) vtr + prép |
| rendre à César ce qui appartient à César loc v | ||
| give [sb] his/her/their due v expr | (give credit to) | il faut dire ce qui est |
| would give his/her/their eyeteeth v expr | (want [sth] very much) | faire n’importe quoi pour loc v |
| (sens négatif) | donner son âme au diable pour, vendre son âme au diable pour expr | |
| grace n | usually capitalized (title) (titre) | Sa Grâce nf |
| Note: Usually preceded by his, her, your. | ||
| His Grace appeared at the king’s court last week. | ||
| Sa Grâce est apparue à la Cour du Roi la semaine dernière. | ||
| his bark is worse than his bite, her bark is worse than her bite expr |
figurative (less dangerous than appears) (figuré) | chien qui aboie ne mord pas expr |
| his nibs, her nibs n |
informal (self-important person) (figuré, familier, péjoratif) | son Altesse, sa Majesté nf |
| keep [sb] on their toes, keep [sb] on his toes, keep [sb] on her toes v expr |
(make [sb] concentrate) | forcer/obliger [qqn] à ne pas se relâcher loc v |
| forcer/obliger [qqn] à rester sur le qui-vive loc v | ||
| The teacher kept the students on their toes by giving them a surprise test. | ||
| knock [sb] off their pedestal, knock [sb] off his pedestal, knock [sb] off her pedestal v expr |
figurative (humble [sb] who is self-important) | faire tomber [qqn] de son piédestal loc v |
| Losing a game so early in the tournament knocked him off his pedestal. | ||
| leave [sb] to his/her/their own devices v expr | (not supervise [sb]) | livrer [qqn] à lui-même vtr |
| left to your/his/her/their own devices adj | (unsupervised, left alone) | livré à soi même loc adj |
| let off the leash, let [sb] off the leash, let [sb] off his/her leash v expr |
figurative (release [sb] from restraint, control) | lâcher du lest loc v |
| When they saw that he could handle the job, they let him off his leash and he quickly moved up to a higher position. | ||
| Lorsqu’ils ont constaté qu’il pouvait relever les défis de son poste, ils ont lâché du lest et il a rapidement obtenu une meilleure place. | ||
| Lordship, your Lordship, his Lordship n |
UK (term of address for British peer) (à un juge) | monsieur le Juge nm |
| (à un évêque) | Monseigneur nm | |
| (à un évêque) | Excellence, son Excellence nf | |
| (à un comte, à un baron) | monsieur (le Comte), monsieur (le Baron) nm | |
| What would your Lordship like to have for dinner tonight? | ||
| make [sb] lose his concentration, make [sb] lose her concentration v expr |
(distract [sb]) | déconcentrer⇒ vtr |
| The loud music made me lose my concentration. | ||
| La musique forte m’a déconcentré. | ||
| faire perdre sa concentration de [qqn] vtr | ||
| La musique trop forte m’a fait perdre ma concentration. | ||
| troubler la concentration de [qqn], perturber la concentration de [qqn] vtr | ||
| La musique trop forte a troublé ma concentration. | ||
| would make [sb] turn over in his/her/their grave, would make [sb] turn in his/her/their grave v expr |
figurative (would offend: dead person) (figuré) | faire se retourner [qqn] dans sa tombe loc v |
| man of his word n | (male: keeps promises) | homme de parole nm |
| I’ve worked with him, and I know him to be a man of his word. | ||
| J’ai travaillé avec lui et je sais que c’est un homme de parole. | ||
| keep [sb] on his/her toes v expr | figurative, informal (keep [sb] alert, ready) | obliger [qqn] à être sur le qui-vive loc v |
| pay [sb] back in his/her/their own coin v expr | figurative (behave toward [sb] in a like way) | rendre à [qqn] la monnaie de sa pièce loc v |
| pay [sb] back in their own coin, pay [sb] back in his own coin, pay [sb] back in her own coin v expr |
figurative (retaliate) | rendre à [qqn] la monnaie de sa pièce loc v |
| put [sb] in his/her place v expr | figurative (humble) | remettre [qqn] à sa place loc v |
| Eleanor’s sharp rebuke put Daniel in his place. | ||
| put [sb] in his/her/their place v expr | (humble [sb]) | remettre [qqn] à sa place loc v |
| put [sb] on his/her guard v expr | (make wary) | mettre sur ses gardes vtr |
| The way she looks at me puts me on my guard. | ||
| put [sb] on his/her/their mettle v expr | (incite, encourage) | mettre [qqn] à rude épreuve loc v |
| put [sb/sth] out of his/her/its misery v expr | (kill [sb/sth]) | abréger les souffrances de [qqn/qch] loc v |
| The dog was so ill that the vet said it would be kinder to put him out of his misery. | ||
| put [sb] out of his/her misery v expr | figurative (finally give an answer, etc.) | ne pas faire attendre [qqn] plus longtemps loc v |
| ne pas faire durer le suspense plus longtemps loc v | ||
| ne pas faire languir [qqn] loc v | ||
| The judges finally put the contestants out of their misery by announcing the winner. | ||
| put [sb] through his/her/their paces v expr | (test [sb]‘s skill, ability) | mettre [qqn] à l’épreuve loc v |
| relieve of their job, relieve [sb] of his job, relieve [sb] of her job v expr |
(dismiss or fire [sb]) | relever [qqn] de ses fonctions loc v |
| [sb] is in their death throes, [sb] is in his death throes, [sb] is in her death throes expr |
([sb] is actively dying) (soutenu) | connaître les affres de la mort, subir les affres de [qch] loc v |
| (soutenu) | être en proie aux affres de la mort loc v | |
| the scruff of the neck, the scruff of his/her neck n |
(person: collar) (d’une personne) | la peau du cou nf |
| The teacher picked Oscar up by the scruff of his neck and hauled him to the headmaster’s office. | ||
| stop [sb] in his/her tracks v expr | figurative (halt [sb]) | arrêter⇒ vtr |
| arrêter dans son élan, arrêter dans sa lancée loc v | ||
| sweep [sb] off their feet, sweep [sb] off his feet, sweep [sb] off her feet v expr |
(cause to fall in love) | faire tourner la tête de [qqn] loc v |
| faire rêver loc v | ||
| charmer⇒, séduire⇒ vtr | ||
| take [sb] at his word, take [sb] at her word v expr |
(believe [sb] is speaking honestly) | croire sur parole loc v |
| to each his own, to each her own, to each their own expr |
(everyone has different preferences) | chacun ses goûts expr |
| tous les goûts sont dans la nature expr | ||
| Greg likes anchovies and pineapple on his pizza? Well, to each their own. | ||
| would turn over in his/her/their grave, would turn in his/her/their grave v expr |
figurative (dead person: would be offended) (au conditionnel) | se retourner dans sa tombe loc v |
| what’s-his-name, whatshisname n |
slang (man: forgotten name) (familier) | Machin nm |
| (familier) | Trucmuche nm | |
| (familier) | Bidule nm | |
| I ran into what’s-his-name again this afternoon. | ||
| J’ai encore croisé Machin cet après-midi. |
“Son” is linked to the noun that follows, not to the gender of the person we’re talking about. e.g:
Marie asks Léa: Comment s’appelle le frère de Sophie ? (“What is the name of Sophie’s brother?”)
Léa says: Son frère s’appelle Pierre. (“Her brother is called Peter.”) because frère (brother) is a masculine word.
Marie asks Tom: Comment s’appelle la sœur de Christophe ? (“What is the name of Christophe’s sister?”)
Tom says: Sa sœur s’appelle Claire. (“His sister is called Claire.”) because sœur (sister) is a feminine word.