French Grammar: Possessive Adjectives
French Grammar: Possessive Adjectives
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Identify:
French Grammar: Possessive Adjectives
la grammaire française: les adjectifs possessifs
Study:
Possessive adjectives indicate possession. They let us know what is mine, yours, his, hers, or ours.
Just like other descriptive adjectives, possessive adjectives must agree in number (singular and plural) with the OBJECT(S) they are possessing (that is, with the thing/s that are being possessed), and NOT with the person possessing the object.
The possessive adjectives “mon”, “ton”, and ”son” change in number (singular and plural) AND ALSO in gender (masculine and feminine) with the OBJECT(S) they are possessing. (The thing(s) that are being possessed.)
…
| Masc. Singular | Fem. Singular | Plural (Masc. & Fem.) | |
| my | mon | ma | mes |
| your (informal) | ton | ta | tes |
| his/her/its | son | sa | ses |
| our | notre | notre | nos |
| your (formal/plural) | votre | votre | vos |
| their | leur | leur | leurs |
…
Mon livre est très grand.
My book is very big.
Leur classe est petite.
Their class is small.
Notre maison est dans la ville.
Our house is in the city.
Son père est très grand et sa mère est très petite.
Her father is very tall and her mother is very short.
Tes chats sont très villeux.
Your (familiar) cats are very fuzzy.
Vous rendrez vos devoirs lundi.
You all will turn in your homework on Monday.
Note that the possessive adjectives “mon” / “ton” / ”son” must always be used before any feminine singular noun that begins with a vowel or a silent ‘h’ (in place of “ma” / “ta” / “sa”).
Mon amie est très intelligente.
My friend (feminine) is very smart.
Ton idée est intéressante.
Your (familiar) idea is interesting.
Jeanne d’Arc est son héroïne.
Joan of Arc is his/her heroine.
Adapt:
Où est ta soeur?
Where is your (familiar) sister?
Ma soeur est dans la classe d’anglais.
My sister is in the English class.
Qu’est-ce qu’il y a dans ton sac à dos?
What is in your (familiar) backpack?
Dans mon sac à dos il y a des livres.
In my backpack there are some books.
Vos livres sont lourds?
Are your (formal) books heavy?
Oui, mes livres sont très lourds.
Yes, my books are very heavy.
Tes devoirs sont difficiles?
Is your (familiar) homework difficult?
Non, mes devoirs ne sont pas difficiles.
No, my homework isn’t difficult.
Nous prenons des notes dans nos cahiers.
We take notes in our notebooks.
Leur classe d’aujourd’hui se traite de l’histoire.
Their class today is about history.
Nos étudiants sont les meilleurs!
Our students are the best!
Non, vos étudiants NE sont PAS les meilleurs!
No, your students are NOT the best!
Tools:
Explore:
- YouTube/FrenchSpanishOnline: Possessive Adjectives
- french.about.com: Possessive Adjectives
- slideshare.net: Possessive Adjectives in French
The LEAF Project
www.leaflanguages.org
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