Mastering Possessive Adjectives in French: A Complete Guide

Introduction

Possessive adjectives in French help indicate ownership or relationship, just like in English: "my," "your," "his," "her," etc. However, in French, these adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun that is possessed, not the possessor

Table of Contents

1. Formation 2. Usage and Agreement 3. Special Cases and Exceptions 4. Common Mistakes to Avoid 5. Exercises with Answers

1. Formation

Here are the possessive adjectives in French:

English	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Plural
My	mon	ma	mes
Your (sing.)	ton	ta	tes
His/Her/Its	son	sa	ses
Our	notre	notre	nos
Your (pl.)	votre	votre	vos
Their	leur	leur	leurs

2. Usage and Agreement of Possessive Adjectives in French

In French, possessive adjectives must agree with the noun they describe, not with the person who owns the noun.

🔹 1 Gender Agreement

In French, every noun has a gender — it's either masculine or feminine. This is different from English, where objects don’t have gender.

The gender of the noun (the thing being owned) determines which possessive adjective you use — not the gender of the person who owns it.

🔸 Example: ● mon chien (my dog – chien is masculine) ● ma cravate (my tie – cravate is feminine)

Even if I am a woman, I still say mon chien because chien is masculine.

🔹 2. Agreement with Number

French also distinguishes between singular and plural nouns. Possessive adjectives must match the number of the noun.

Example: ● mon livre (my book – singular) ● mes livres (my books – plural)

⚠️ Plural possessive adjectives are:

● mes (my) ● tes (your)

● ses (his/her) ● nos (our) ● vos (your) ● leurs (their)

They stay the same regardless of gender, only number matters here.

🔹 3. Special Rule: Feminine Nouns Starting with a Vowel or Silent 'H'

To make pronunciation smoother, you use the masculine possessive adjective even if the noun is feminine — but only when that noun starts with a vowel or a silent 'h'. Why? To avoid a clash of two vowel sounds (called a hiatus).

🔸 Examples:

● ✅ mon amie (my friend – amie is feminine, but we use mon for smooth pronunciation) ● ✅ son histoire (his/her story – histoire is feminine, but we use son to avoid two vowel sounds together)

If you said ❌ ma amie, it would sound awkward in French. 💡 Think of this as a pronunciation helper, not a change in gender.

4. Common Mistakes to Avoid (Optional)

• Using the wrong gender: "mon maison" ✖ should be "ma maison"

• Forgetting to match plural forms: "mes chien" ✖ should be "mes chiens"

5. Exercises

Fill in the blanks with the correct possessive adjective. Pay attention to the gender, number, and article that follows.

1. J'aime …………… mère. (my)

✅ ma

2. Il lit …………… livre. (his)

3. Tu cherches …………… chaussures? (your - sing.)

4. Elle adore …………… amie Sophie. (her)

5. Nous appelons …………… parents chaque jour. (our)

6. Vous invitez …………… amis? (your - pl.)

7. Ils finissent …………… devoirs. (their)

8. Je prends …………… parapluie. (my)

9. Tu aimes …………… maison? (your - sing.)

10. Elle mange avec …………… oncle. (her)

11. Ils voient …………… cousins le week-end. (their)

12. Vous oubliez …………… passeport. (your - pl.)

13. Il prend …………… valise. (his)

14. Nous donnons …………… livres à l'école. (our)

15. Je vois …………… amie Marie. (my)

16. Tu vois …………… cahier? (your - sing.)

17. Elle parle de …………… frère. (her)

18. Il pense à …………… grands-parents. (his)

19. Nous connaissons …………… professeure. (our)

20. Vous avez …………… clés? (your - pl.)

21. J'aime …………… chats. (my)

22. Tu réponds à …………… questions? (your - sing.)

23. Elle apporte …………… serviette. (her)

24. Nous écrivons à …………… cousins. (our)

25. Ils vendent …………… voiture. (their)

26. Tu prépares …………… valise? (your - sing.)

27. Elle oublie …………… livre. (her)

28. Vous terminez …………… exercices? (your - pl.)

29. Je connais …………… professeur. (my)

30. Ils aiment …………… enfants. (their)