Possessives in French, lesson 1
A possessive 'determiner' (for example 'my', 'your', or 'his') refers to the gender of what is being 'possessed', indicates whether it is singular or plural, and also links back to who is possessing it.
For example 'my bed' is 'Mon lit'. In this case the word 'Mon' indicates that the object possessed is masculine, that it is singular, and that is mine.
So once you're determined who is the possessor of something, you must determine the number and gender of the object possessed. The table below shows all the possessives :
|
My |
Your |
His/Her/Its |
Masculine |
Mon |
Ton |
Son |
Feminine |
Ma |
Ta |
Sa |
Plural |
Mes |
Tes |
Ses |
|
Our |
Your |
Their |
Masculine |
Notre |
Votre |
Leur |
Feminine |
Notre |
Votre |
Leur |
Plural |
Nos |
Vos |
Leurs |
Now test your understanding with the following quizzes :
Possessives Quiz 1 (easy) --- Possessives Quiz 2 (harder)
Study Aids:
Related quizzes:
- Possessives, quiz 1 - Take the quiz on the use of the possessives in French.
- Adjectives in French, quiz 1 - Take your French language skills further!
Assisted reading (with mp3 audio):
- Our assisted reading section will help you develop your ability to read in French; you'll intuitively learn where to place emphasis, where to pause (for a breath!), and how to pronounce full sentences of flowing text. All you have to do is follow the text while listening to the mp3 sound file.
- Our dictionary provides a English translation of all the French words we use on this web site.