In this grammar lesson, you will learn about how to use possessive adjectives in French.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- possessive adjectives
- how to use possessive adjectives in French
- how possessive adjectives are used in French sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on how to use possessive adjectives in French
- how to practice with flashcards on how to use possessive adjectives in French
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson, you will know all about how to use possessive adjectives in French!
Table of Contents
Possessive Adjectives Table
| Masculine & Singular | Feminine & Singular | Mas+Fem Plural | |
| my | mon | ma/mon | mes |
| your | ton | ta/ton | tes |
| his/her | son | sa/son | ses |
| our | notre | notre | nos |
| your (plural) | votre | votre | vos |
| their | leur | leur | leurs |
If a feminine and singular noun starts with a mute h or a vowel, then you will use the possessive adjectives highlighted in blue.
une mère-> ma mère
une histoire -> mon histoire
une amie -> mon amie
Mère is feminine, but it doesn’t start with a mute h or a vowel, so you will use ma.
However, histoire and amie are both feminine and start with a mute h or a vowel. So, you will use mon.
How to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
The possessive adjective is determined by the gender and the number of the noun, and NOT by the gender of the owner.
In English you can say:
Carla loves her husband.
Looking at the table you may expect the following
Carla aime sa marie. [wrong]
However, this is wrong.
You are thinking that because it’s HER husband, you have to use sa
But in French, the gender/number of the possessive adjective is determined by the noun.
le marie
the husband
In this case the noun is masculine.
So, the correct answer would be
Carla aime son mari.
Carla loves her husband.
Please also take a look at the following example.
l’étoile (fem)
Son étoile pâlit.
… star is fading
Is it his or her?
Well, we don’t know.
Al we know is that star is feminine and singular (l’étoile).
So, it depends on the context.
l’étoile (fem)
Son étoile pâlit.
His star is fading.
Her star is fading
This method is not intuitive if you are a native English speaker.
So, please re-read this lesson when you are done.
Also, take a look at the following sentences to get a practical understanding on how to use possessive adjectives in French.
la mère
J’entends ma mère.
I hear my mother.
l’amie (fem)
J’aime bien mon amie.
I like my friend. [friendship]
le cœur
Ouvre ton cœur.
Open your heart.
la réponse
Merci pour ta réponse.
Thank you for your reply.
Ses chaussettes sont grises.
His socks are gray.
Her socks are gray.
C’est notre maison.
That’s our house.
Nos condoléances.
Our condolences.
J’admire votre bravoure.
I admire your bravery.
Ce sont vos options.
Those are your options.
C’est leur stratégie.
That’s their strategy.
Ils aiment leurs enfants.
They love their children.
Example Sentences on How to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
The final section of this lesson on how to use possessive adjectives in French is about seeing the possesssive adjectives in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on how use possessive adjectives in French through examples.
la mère
J’entends ma mère.
I hear my mother.
l’amie (fem)
J’aime bien mon amie.
I like my friend. [friendship]
Mes chiens sont blancs.
My dogs are white.
le cœur
Ouvre ton cœur.
Open your heart.
la réponse
Merci pour ta réponse.
Thank you for your reply.
J’aime tes yeux !
I like your eyes!
Carla aime son mari.
Carla loves her husband.
l’étoile (fem)
Son étoile pâlit.
His star is fading.
Ses chaussettes sont grises.
His socks are gray.
Her socks are gray.
C’est notre maison.
That’s our house.
Nos condoléances.
Our condolences.
J’admire votre bravoure.
I admire your bravery.
Ce sont vos options.
Those are your options.
C’est leur stratégie.
That’s their strategy.
Ils aiment leurs enfants.
They love their children.
Quiz Yourself on How to Use Possessive Adjectives in French
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz as many times as you want.
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
After you have downloaded Anki for free, you can get our French A1 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,764 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A1.
All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
You can also use our courses that have flashcards integrated alongside lessons with audio, quizzes and much more!
However, I am sure you are wondering, what are your courses, and why should I take them?
The Courses of Language Atlas
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