Introduction
Introduction
Words like “my”, “your”, “his”, “her”, “its”, “our”, and “their” are possessive adjectives. They modify nouns to indicate ownership and association. Like in English, they precede the nouns they modify:
mon frère
my brother
ton frère
your brother (familiar)
son frère
her brother
notre frère
our brother
votre frère
your brother (formal)
leur frère
their brother
However unlike English, they also change gender based the object it modifies, if in the first- and second-person forms.* The feminine forms are listed below:
ma soeur
my sister
ta soeur
your sister (informal)
sa sœur
her sister
However, there is an exception for pronunciation sake. If the feminine noun begins with a vowel, the masculine possessive adjective is used:
mon amie
my (girl)friend
son amie
his (girl)friend
With plural nouns, gender inflection is ignored and neutral plural forms are used:
mes soeurs
my sisters
mes frères
my brothers
tes sœurs
your sisters (informal)
ses sœurs
his sisters
ses frères
her brothers
nos sœurs
our sisters
vos frères
your brothers (informal)
leurs sœurs
their sisters
It is important to remember too, that French adjectives inflect for gender based on the noun being modified. In English possessive adjectives (his/her/its) also inflect based on gender, but do so based on the gender of the possessor.
mon frère
my brother
ton frère
your brother (familiar)
son frère
her brother
notre frère
our brother
votre frère
your brother (formal)
leur frère
their brother
However unlike English, they also change gender based the object it modifies, if in the first- and second-person forms.* The feminine forms are listed below:
ma soeur
my sister
ta soeur
your sister (informal)
sa sœur
her sister
However, there is an exception for pronunciation sake. If the feminine noun begins with a vowel, the masculine possessive adjective is used:
mon amie
my (girl)friend
son amie
his (girl)friend
With plural nouns, gender inflection is ignored and neutral plural forms are used:
mes soeurs
my sisters
mes frères
my brothers
tes sœurs
your sisters (informal)
ses sœurs
his sisters
ses frères
her brothers
nos sœurs
our sisters
vos frères
your brothers (informal)
leurs sœurs
their sisters
It is important to remember too, that French adjectives inflect for gender based on the noun being modified. In English possessive adjectives (his/her/its) also inflect based on gender, but do so based on the gender of the possessor.
Singular | First-person |
mon
my
masculine
ma
my
feminine
mes
my
|
---|---|---|
Second-person |
ton
your
masculine informal
ta
your
feminine
tes
your
|
|
Third-person |
son
his
her
its
masculine
sa
his
her
its
feminine
ses
his
her
its
|
|
Plural | First-person |
notre
our
|
Second-person |
nos
our
votre
your
formal
vos
your
formal
|
|
Third-person |
leur
their
leurs
their
|
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