In this grammar lesson you will learn how to use possessive pronouns in French.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- what possessive pronouns are
- how to use possessive pronouns in French
- how possessive pronouns are used in French sentences
- how to quiz yourself on how to use possessive pronouns in French
- how to use with flashcards for how to use possessive pronouns in French
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A2 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about how this fits in A2 grammar.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about how to use possessive pronouns French!
Table of Contents
Possessive Pronouns in French
| Masc Sing. | Fem Sing. | Masc Plural | Fem Plural | |
| mine | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
| yours | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
| his/hers | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
| ours | le nôtre | la nôtre | les nôtres | les nôtres |
| yours (pl) | le vôtre | la vôtre | les vôtres | les vôtres |
| theirs | le leur | la leur | les leurs | les leurs |
What are Possessive Pronouns?
Possessive pronouns are used in place of a noun, to show to what or to whom that noun belongs.
So instead of saying:
The pen belongs to Clara. This is the pen of Clara.
You would say:
The pen belongs to Clara. It’s hers.
Possessive pronouns indicate the ownership of a noun (e.g. a pen).
How to use Possessive Pronouns in French
As you can see in the table, there are 21 possessive pronouns in French.
This is vastly more than in English, as French is a gendered language.
In French, you have to agree the possessive pronoun with the gender of the noun possessed.
You must NOT agree the gender of the French possessive pronoun with the gender of the possessor.
Let’s take a look at some examples to better understand this.
C’est le stylo de Clara. C’est le sien.
It’s Clara’s pen. It’s hers.
Clara is a woman, but the pen (le stylo) is masculine.
Because le stylo is masculine, you have to use a masculine possessive pronoun.
In this case le stylo is singular, so we have to use le sien.
Here’s another example.
C’est la montre de Jean. C’est la sienne.
It is the watch of Jean. It’s his.
Jean is a man, but the watch (la montre) is feminine.
Because la montre is feminine, you have to use a feminine possessive pronoun.
In this case la montre is singular, so we have to use la sienne.
We have handled two examples where the gender was relevant.
Now I would like to show you two examples where the number is important.
Nos enfants sont à l’école. Où sont les vôtres ?
Our children are at school. Where are yours?
Ce sont les chaussures de mes parents. Elles sont les leurs.
These are my parents’ shoes. They are theirs.
In both examples the nouns are plural (children and shoes).
As such, you have to choose the plural possessive pronoun.
In all cases the possessive pronoun agrees with the thing that is possessed, and not with the owner.
It helps if you know how to identify the gender of nouns.
But don’t worry, as you progress, you will become better at identifying the gender of nouns!
Examples Sentences on How to use Possessive Pronouns in French
The final section of this lesson on how to use possessive pronouns French is about seeing the pronouns in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on how to use possessive pronouns in French through examples.
Je pense que c’est le mien.
I think this is mine.
Est-ce la tienne ?
Is it yours?
C’est le stylo de Clara. C’est le sien.
It’s Clara’s pen. It’s hers.
C’est la montre de Jean. C’est la sienne.
It is the watch of Jean. It’s his.
Cette école est la nôtre.
This school is ours.
Nos enfants sont à l’école. Où sont les vôtres ?
Our children are at school. Where are yours?
Ce sont les chaussures de mes parents. Elles sont les leurs.
These are my parents’ shoes. They are theirs.
Quiz Yourself on How to use Possessive Pronouns 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.
It is up to you to give the correct answer.
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, you can get our French A2 Anki Deck.
This Anki Deck contains 3,816 flashcards with which you can practice absolutely everything for French A2.
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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