Common mistakes with mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes and son/sa/ses (French Possessive Adjectives)

In French, the agreement of the possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her) doesn't work the same way as in English. Indeed, in French, possessive adjectives agree with the possession, as well as with the owner.

How to use possessive adjectives in French

Look at these three examples:

Louis a emprunté mon stylo.Louis borrowed my pen.

Louis a emprunté mes chaussures.Louis borrowed my shoes.

Louis a emprunté ma voiture.Louis borrowed my car.

In English, we will use my because the owner here is me, (first person).

In French, we will also use the first person, but it only determines the first part of the adjective, so it could still be mon, mor mes.

Then you need to look at the possession:

- In the first case, stylo is masculine, therefore we will use mon.

- In the second case, chaussures is plural, therefore we will use mes.

- In the last case, voiture is feminine, therefore we will use ma.

 

Now look at these three examples:

Je déteste ton chapeau.I hate your hat.

Je déteste tes collants.I hate your tights.

Je déteste ta robe.I hate your dress.

In English, we will use your because the owner here is you, (second person).

In French, we will also use the second person, but it only determines the first part of the adjective, so it could still be ton, tor tes.

Then you need to look at the possession:

- In the first case, chapeau is masculine, therefore we will use ton.

- In the second case, collants is plural, therefore we will use tes.

- In the last case, robe is feminine, therefore we will use ta.

 

And finally look at these three examples:

Annie aime son père.Annie loves her dad.

Annie aime ses livres.Annie loves her books.

Annie aime sa mère.Annie loves her mother.

In English, we will use his or her because Annie, the owner here, is a third person (not I nor you), and it will be the feminine her because Annie (the 'owner') is a woman.

In French, we will also use the third person, but it only determines the first part of the adjective, so it could be son, sor ses.

Then you need to look at the possession:

- In the first case, père is masculine, therefore we will use son.

- In the second case, livres is plural, therefore we will use ses.

- In the last case, mère is feminine, therefore we will use sa.

ATTENTION:
Note that because of this, you cannot infer the gender of an owner based of the possessive adjective in French.

Denis aime sa copine.Denis loves his girlfriend.

Angela aime sa copine.Angela loves her girlfriend.

In both cases, you will use sa because of la copine!

 

Here are more examples:

Lisa adore son frère.Lisa adores her brother.

Il aime sa sœur.He loves his sister.

Je m'appelle Sophie. J'adore mon chien.My name is Sophie. I love my dog.

Inès rapporte tes vêtements.Inès is bringing back your clothes.

Note that the plural persons notre/nos, votre/vos and leur/leurs (our, your, their) are simpler as they only agree in number with the possession(s).
See Notre/nos/votre/vos/leur/leurs = our/your/their (French Possessive Adjectives)

See also the simpler lesson Mon, ma, mes; ton, ta, tes; son, sa, ses = my; your; his / her in French (French possessive adjectives)

and also "Ma" becomes "mon" with feminine nouns starting with a vowel or mute h (French Possessive Adjectives) and Using son/sa/ses to express possession with personne/tout le monde/chacun/il faut (French Possessive Adjectives)

 

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Examples and resources

Je m'appelle Sophie. J'adore mon chien.My name is Sophie. I love my dog.
Il aime sa sœur.He loves his sister.
Louis a emprunté mon stylo.Louis borrowed my pen.
Lisa adore son frère.Lisa adores her brother.
...avec sa canne dans la main.... with his cane in his hand.
Louis a emprunté mes chaussures.Louis borrowed my shoes.
Elle a déjà son balai de sorcière.She has her witch's broom already!
Louis a emprunté ma voiture.Louis borrowed my car.
Annie aime son père.Annie loves her dad.
Inès rapporte tes vêtements.Inès is bringing back your clothes.
Annie aime ses livres.Annie loves her books.
Annie aime sa mère.Annie loves her mother.
Angela aime sa copine.Angela loves her girlfriend.
Denis aime sa copine.Denis loves his girlfriend.
Je déteste ton chapeau.I hate your hat.
Je déteste ta robe.I hate your dress.
Je déteste tes collants.I hate your tights.
I'll be right with you...