Great work on family vocabulary! Now you're going to learn one of the most useful grammar tools in French: possessive adjectives. These are the words that replace 'my', 'your', and 'his/her' in front of a noun. The tricky part for English speakers is that French possessive adjectives agree with the noun they describe — not with the owner. Once you see the logic, though, it clicks quickly. Lucas and Camille are looking at photos again, this time talking about each other's families.
Learning tips
- In French, possessives agree with the NOUN they describe, not the person who owns it. So a man says 'ma mère' (my mother) because mère is feminine — not because he is male.
- Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, use mon/ton/son instead of ma/ta/sa: mon amie, ton université. This avoids a clashing vowel sound.
- The plural forms mes, tes, ses cover all genders — there's no separate masculine or feminine plural possessive for je/tu/il/elle.
- A quick memory hook: mon/ton/son rhyme, ma/ta/sa rhyme, mes/tes/ses rhyme. The rhyming sets belong to the same person.
Warm-up & Active Recall
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| la famille | the family |
| la maman | mum / mom |
| le papa | dad |
| le frère | the brother |
| la sœur | the sister |
| le fils | the son |
| la fille | the daughter / the girl |
| le grand-père | the grandfather |
| la grand-mère | the grandmother |
| les parents | the parents |
Dialog
Lucas and Camille are looking at more family photos. Notice how they switch between mon, ma, mes, ton, ta, tes, son, sa, ses as they talk about different family members.
Vocabulary
Active words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| mon | /mɔ̃/ | my (masc. singular) | Used before masculine singular nouns: mon frère, mon père. |
| ma | /ma/ | my (fem. singular) | Used before feminine singular nouns: ma sœur, ma mère. Becomes mon before a vowel: mon amie. |
| mes | /me/ | my (plural) | Used before all plural nouns: mes parents, mes frères, mes sœurs. |
| ton | /tɔ̃/ | your (masc. singular, informal) | Used before masculine singular nouns in the tu form: ton frère. |
| ta | /ta/ | your (fem. singular, informal) | Used before feminine singular nouns in the tu form: ta sœur. |
| tes | /te/ | your (plural, informal) | Used before all plural nouns in the tu form: tes parents. |
| son | /sɔ̃/ | his / her (masc. singular) | Son means both 'his' and 'her' — it agrees with the noun, not the owner: son mari (her husband). |
| sa | /sa/ | his / her (fem. singular) | Sa agrees with the following feminine noun: sa sœur (his/her sister). |
| ses | /se/ | his / her (plural) | Ses agrees with plural nouns: ses enfants (his/her children). |
| le mari | /lə ma.ʁi/ | the husband | Le mari refers specifically to a married husband. Un homme is simply 'a man'. |
Passive words
| Word | IPA | Translation | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| notre | /nɔtʁ/ | ||
| votre | /vɔtʁ/ | ||
| leur | /lœʁ/ | ||
| la femme | /la fam/ | ||
| le couple | /lə kupl/ | ||
| ensemble | /ɑ̃.sɑ̃bl/ |
Useful chunks
| Word | Translation |
|---|---|
| c'est mon frère | that's my brother / it's my brother |
| et ta famille ? | and your family? / what about your family? |
Grammar: Possessive adjectives
| Possesseur | Masc. sing. | Fém. sing. | Pluriel |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | mon | ma | mes |
| tu | ton | ta | tes |
| il/elle | son | sa | ses |
| nous | notre | notre | nos |
| vous | votre | votre | vos |
| ils/elles | leur | leur | leurs |
Possessive adjectives in French agree with the gender and number of the noun they accompany — not with the gender of the owner. This is very different from English, where 'his' and 'her' tell you about the owner, not the object. In French, the word for 'his mother' and 'her mother' is the same: sa mère, because mère is feminine. The full set for je (I) is: mon (masculine singular), ma (feminine singular), mes (plural). For tu (you, informal): ton, ta, tes. For il/elle (he/she): son, sa, ses. There is one important spelling rule: before any noun that begins with a vowel or a silent h, you always use mon/ton/son — even if the noun is grammatically feminine. So it's mon amie (my female friend), not ma amie — this avoids two vowel sounds clashing. For nous (we), the possessive is notre (singular) and nos (plural). For vous (you, formal/plural): votre (singular) and vos (plural). For ils/elles (they): leur (singular) and leurs (plural). A useful study tip: make flashcards showing the noun alongside its possessive form so you practise agreement automatically.
Exercises
Fill in the Blanks
Complete each sentence with the correct possessive adjective.
- C'est frère. (my)(owner = je; frère is masculine singular)
- Voilà sœur. (your, informal)(owner = tu; sœur is feminine singular)
- parents habitent à Paris. (her)(owner = elle; parents is plural)
- mari s'appelle Marc. (her)(owner = elle; mari is masculine singular)
- Et famille ? (your, informal, plural)(asking about your family — famille is feminine singular, owner = tu)
Grammar Application
Choose the correct possessive adjective for each noun.
- mon ou ma ? maman(maman is feminine — but does it start with a vowel?)
- son ou sa ? frère(frère is masculine singular, owner = il/elle)
- ton ou ta ? sœur(sœur is feminine singular, owner = tu)
- Pluriel : mon frère → frères(mon frère is singular — change both the possessive and the noun to plural)
- Féminin devant voyelle : amie (my)(amie starts with a vowel — which special rule applies?)
Translate into French
Translate each English sentence into French.
- That's my brother.
- Her mum lives in Paris.
- My parents are French.
- What's your husband's name?
- His grandparents live in Lyon.
Build Your Own Sentence
Write 3–4 French sentences using possessive adjectives. Describe your own family members or make up a fictional family.
Takeaway
French possessives agree with the noun being owned, not the owner — so son frère can mean either 'his brother' or 'her brother', and the context tells you which.