What is a possessive
adjective?
Words that say to whom
or to what something
belongs.
In English there are seven:
my house
your house (singular)
your/y’all’s house (plural)
his house
her house
their house
its house
However, in French, there are
several ways to use possessive
adjectives.
Their usage depends on the
noun’s gender.
The first one that we are going
to learn is the word
“my”
“My” has 3 different forms.
mon
used before nouns that are
masculine
par exemple:
mon sac à dos
(my backpack)
mon stylo
(my pen)
mon professeur
(my teacher)
ma
used before nouns that are
feminine
par exemple:
ma salle de classe
(my classroom)
ma chaise
(my chair)
ma gomme
(my eraser)
However!
Just like the definite article
L’
there is a rule for
possessive adjectives when
nouns start with a vowel.
If a noun starts with a
vowel
use the masculine form of
“my” – mon
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
mon agrafeuse
(my stapler)
mon affiche
(my posters)
mon horloge
(my clock)
mes
used before nouns that are
plural, no matter the gender
par exemple:
mes affiches
(my posters)
mes chaises
(my chairs)
mes stylos
(my pens)
My:
mon
ma
before
masculine
nouns
before
feminine
nouns
mon
mes_
before
before
vowel
plural
no matter the gender
What is….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
my book – livre
my high school – lycée
my calculator – calculatrice
my map – carte
my school – école
my printer – imprimante
my computers – ordinateur
my teachers – professeurs
Now let’s learn how to say
“his” and “her”
His and her are the exact same
in French, and they also have 3
different forms depending on
the gender.
In French, the possessive
adjective does not change
depending on the gender of
the subject.
It changes depending on the
gender of the noun.
son
used before nouns that are
masculine
par exemple:
son sac à dos
(his/her backpack)
son stylo
(his/her pen)
son professeur
(his/her teacher)
sa
used before nouns that are
feminine
par exemple:
sa salle de classe
(his/her classroom)
sa chaise
(his/her chair)
sa gomme
(his/her eraser)
J’ai son livre.
J’ai son livre.
I have his book.
J’ai son livre.
I have his book.
I have her book.
Nous avons sa carte.
Nous avons sa carte.
We have her map.
Nous avons sa carte.
We have her map.
We have his map.
However!
Just like the definite article
L’
there is a rule for
possessive adjectives when
nouns start with a vowel.
If a noun starts with a
vowel
use the masculine form of
“his/her” – son
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
son agrafeuse
(his/her stapler)
son affiche
(his/her posters)
son horloge
(his/her clock)
ses
used before nouns that are
plural, no matter the gender
par exemple:
ses affiches
(his/her posters)
ses chaises
(his/her chairs)
ses stylos
(his/her pens)
his/her:
son
before
masculine
nouns
sa
before
feminine
nouns
son
ses_
before
before
vowel
plural
no matter the gender
What is….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
his book
her high school
his calculator
her map
his school
her printer
his computers
her teachers
Now let’s learn how to say
“your”
The informal/singular your has
3 different forms depending on
the gender.
In French, the possessive
adjective does not change
depending on the gender of
the subject.
It changes depending on the
gender of the noun.
ton
used before nouns that are
masculine
par exemple:
ton sac à dos
(your backpack)
ton stylo
(your pen)
ton professeur
(your teacher)
ta
used before nouns that are
feminine
par exemple:
ta salle de classe
(your classroom)
ta chaise
(your chair)
ta gomme
(your eraser)
He has your book.
Il a ton livre.
They have your map.
Ils ont ta carte.
However!
Just like the definite article
L’
there is a rule for
possessive adjectives when
nouns start with a vowel.
If a noun starts with a
vowel
use the masculine form of
“your” – ton
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
ton agrafeuse
(your stapler)
ton affiche
(your posters)
ton horloge
(your clock)
tes
used before nouns that are
plural, no matter the gender
par exemple:
tes affiches
(your posters)
tes chaises
(your chairs)
tes stylos
(your pens)
your (singular/informal):
ton
before
masculine
nouns
ta
before
feminine
nouns
ton
tes_
before
before
vowel
plural
no matter the gender
What is….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
your book your high school –
your calculator –
your map –
your school –
your printer –
your computers –
your teachers –
Plural/formal form of
“your”
2 different forms.
votre
used before nouns that are
singular
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
votre sac à dos
(your backpack)
votre agrafeuse
(your stapler)
votre professeur
(your teacher)
vos
used before nouns that are
plural
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
vos affiches
(your posters)
vos chaises
(your chairs)
vos stylos
(your pens)
Your – plural/formal:
votre
votre
before
masculine
nouns
before
feminine
nouns
votre
before
vowel
vos_
before
plural
What is….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
your book your high school –
your calculator –
your map –
your school –
your printer –
your computers –
your teachers –
the word for
“our”
has
2 different forms
notre
used before nouns that are
singular
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
notre sac à dos
(our backpack)
notre agrafeuse
(our stapler)
notre professeur
(our teacher)
nos
used before nouns that are
plural
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
nos affiches
(our posters)
nos chaises
(our chairs)
nos stylos
(our pens)
Our:
notre
notre
before
masculine
nouns
before
feminine
nouns
notre
before
vowel
nos_
before
plural
What is….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
our book our high school –
our calculator –
our map –
our school –
our printer –
our computers –
our teachers –
the word for
“their”
has
2 different forms
leur
used before nouns that are
singular
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
leur sac à dos
(their backpack)
leur agrafeuse
(their stapler)
leur professeur
(their teacher)
leurs
used before nouns that are
plural
NO MATTER THE GENDER
par exemple:
leurs affiches
(their posters)
leurs chaises
(their chairs)
leurs stylos
(their pens)
Their:
leur
leur
leur
before
masculine
nouns
before
feminine
nouns
before
vowel
leurs_
before
plural
What is….
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
their book their high school –
their calculator –
their map –
their school –
their printer –
their computers –
their teachers –