A nice and simple guide to possessive adjectives in French

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This article will teach you everything you need to know about possessive adjectives in French in no time. This might sound like Greek to you, but believe me: the name is a lot more impressive than what it is! Much like English, you need them to express that one person or thing belongs to another.

In this article, you’ll:

• Get a brief, handy French possessive adjective chart you can learn and refer to.
• Learn how to use possessive French adjectives in daily situations.
• Discover a couple of exceptions to the general rule.
• And much more!

What are possessive adjectives in French?

Possessive adjectives in French are used to indicate to what or to whom a noun belongs. The concept is the same as in English, but there are more forms. Don’t panic, we’re here to make it as simple as possible for you, so keep reading!

What’s the difference between possessive adjectives vs possessive pronouns

Possessive adjectives, possessive pronouns… It all sounds the same to you?

In short, possessive pronouns replace a noun or noun phrase, while possessive adjectives indicate the ownership of the noun they refer to.

Possessive adjectives in French:

Mon, ton, son, sa, notre, votre, leur, etc.

Example: C’est mon sac à dos (It’s my backpack.)

Possessive pronouns in French:

Le mien, le tien, la sienne, le nôtre, le vôtre, le leur, etc.

Example: À qui est ce sac à dos ? C’est le mien. (Who does this backpack belong to? It’s mine.)

Learn more about the pronouns in French here, including possessive pronouns.

French possessive adjectives

Below is a French possessive adjective chart that you can refer to every time you have a doubt. In time, you’ll know them by heart, and you’ll be able to use them naturally!

English	French: Masculine	French: Feminine	French: Plural	Examples
My	Mon	Ma	Mes	Mon copain Ma copine Mes copains Mes copines
Your (informal)	Ton	Ta	Tes	Ton copain Ta copine Tes copains Tes copines
His, her	Son	Sa	Ses	Son copain Sa copine Ses copains Ses copines
Our	Notre	Notre	Nos	Notre copain Notre copine Nos copains Nos copines
Your (plural or formal)	Votre	Votre	Vos	Votre copain Notre copine Vos copains Vos copines
Their	Leur	Leur	Leurs	Leur copain Leur copine Leurs copains Leurs copines

Masculine or feminine?

As you probably know, one of the biggest challenges for English speakers who learn a Latin language — and some others — is gender. After all, there’s not much logic to it. Why would a table be feminine, and a desk masculine? That’s not very inclusive, is it? Fortunately, there are few tricks. Watch this video to learn more!

How to Guess a Word's Gender | Super Easy French 90

And why am I talking about this? Well, because French possessive adjectives change according to the gender of the noun they refer to, as you could see in the table above.

Quick examples:

• Mon frère (my brother)
• Ma sœur (my sister)
• Ma robe (my dress)
• Mon pantalon (my pants)

By the way, you’ll find more vocab on family in French here, and everything you need to know about clothing in French here.

L’exception qui confirme la règle

If you’ve been studying French for a while, you might know the saying: “C’est l’exception qui confirme la règle” — It’s the exception that confirms the rule. Trust me, all French children hate it, as many teachers use it constantly to justify the endless list of exceptions to any grammar rule.

Fortunately, as far as possessive adjectives and gender are concerned, there are only two exceptions where gender doesn’t matter.

1. When the adjective comes before a vowel

Two vowels in a row don’t sound very good. Try to say “a alligator” or “a orange”, for instance. Well, it’s exactly the same in French. To put it simply, everytime a noun starts with a vowel, even when feminine, you’ll need to use the masculine possessive adjectives which all end with a consonant — N, to be accurate.

Let’s take a couple of examples:

• You shouldn’t say “Ma amie” but “Mon amie”.
• You shouldn’t say “Ma île flottante” but “Mon île flottante”.

And if you love French desserts, don’t miss our tasty guide to ordering food in French!

2. When using plural

Good news, the plural form of possessive adjectives doesn’t change depending on the gender!

A couple of examples:

• Mes chaussures (my shoes)
• Tes chaussures (your shoes)
• Ses chaussures (his/her shoes)
• Leurs chaussures (their shoes)

Examples of conversation

Below are some examples to use possessive adjectives in a variety of daily situations. If you have a friend who is learning French too, try some role playing!

1. Introducing someone

Je te présente ma femme, Claire.

Let me introduce my wife, Claire.

Voici mon copain, Clément.

Here is my boyfriend — or friend depending on the context —, Clément.

C’est ma sœur, Romy. Et ses enfants, Sixtine et Augustin.

This is my sister, Romy. And her children, Sixtine and Augustin.

Je viendrai avec mon conjoint et notre chien.

I will come with my partner and our dog.

Learn more ways to introduce yourself in French here!

2. Networking

Je vous laisse mon numéro de téléphone. Pouvez-vous me donner votre adresse e-mail ?

Here is my phone number. Could you give me your email address?

Voici ma carte de visite.

Here is my business card.

Mon entreprise s’appelle Berlitz.

My company’s name is Berlitz.

J’en discute avec mon patron et je vous recontacte.

I’ll discuss it with my boss, and I’ll get back to you.

3. On a plane

Pouvez-vous remonter le dossier de votre siège, s’il vous plaît ?

Could you please raise the back of your seat?

Je ne vais pas manger mon cheesecake, vous le voulez ?

I’m not gonna eat my cheesecake. Do you want it?

Excusez-moi, cela vous embêterait de changer de place avec moi pour que je sois à côté de ma fille ?

Excuse me, would you mind switching places with me so I can sit next to my daughter?

Regarde la fille là-bas, j’adore sa valise !

Look at the girl over there, I love her suitcase!

Body parts

Unlike in English, as a rule of thumb, French possessive adjectives are not used with parts of the body in French — with a few exceptions, bien sûr.

Here are some examples when possessive adjectives are NOT used:

J’ai mal au ventre.

My stomach hurts.

Il aura des souvenirs plein la tête.

His head will be filled with memories.

Donne-moi la main.

Hold my hand.

Il a les pieds sur terre.

He has his feet on the ground (expression meaning to be grounded, realistic)

Regarde-moi dans les yeux.

Look at me in the eyes.

Elle se brosse les dents.

She’s brushing her teeth.

Je me suis cassé la jambe.

I broke my leg.

J’ai le cœur qui bat la chamade.

My heart is pounding.

By now, à mon avis, possessive French adjectives should make sense to you — or at least be a little clearer. And if not, try to read this article again and find your own examples for each category. Alors à ton tour !

Remember, as Loic Suberville would say, French is easy… right?