French Possessive Adjectives: mon, ma, mes, ton, son, leur
🇫🇷 French · 20 cards · A1 · by Théo Marchand
French possessive adjectives agree with the thing owned, not with the owner — that one idea explains most beginner mistakes. Sa voiture is "his car" or "her car", because voiture is feminine and the form tells you nothing about who owns it. This deck gives you all fifteen forms, from mon/ma/mes to leur/leurs, plus the vowel rule that turns ma amie into mon amie, son propre for "his/her own", and two everyday ownership structures that are technically pronouns: à moi and le mien. Say the examples out loud and listen for the liaison in mes amis and vos enfants. The rules are identical in France and in Québec; only how fast people switch to tu changes.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 20 cards
| # | French | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | mon The form is chosen by the noun, never by the speaker's gender: mon livre, mon chien, mon ordinateur. | my (before a masculine singular noun) | Mon frère habite à Marseille. My brother lives in Marseille. | |
| 2 | ma Becomes mon before a vowel or silent h: mon amie, mon histoire. | my (before a feminine singular noun) | Ma sœur arrive demain matin. My sister is arriving tomorrow morning. | |
| 3 | mes Same form for masculine and feminine. Liaison is obligatory: mes amis sounds like "may-za-mee". | my (before any plural noun) | J'ai encore oublié mes clés. I forgot my keys again. | |
| 4 | ton Informal, goes with tu. In Québec people switch to tu/ton much faster than in France. | your (informal, masculine singular) | Ton téléphone sonne depuis cinq minutes. Your phone has been ringing for five minutes. | |
| 5 | ta Becomes ton before a vowel sound: ton adresse, ton école. | your (informal, feminine singular) | C'est ta place, là-bas ? Is that your seat over there? | |
| 6 | tes Informal; one form for both genders. Liaison: tes amis = "tay-za-mee". | your (informal, plural) | Range tes affaires, s'il te plaît. Put your things away, please. | |
| 7 | son Son vélo = his bike OR her bike; only the context tells you who the owner is. | his, her, its (before a masculine singular noun) | Il a perdu son passeport à l'aéroport. He lost his passport at the airport. | |
| 8 | sa Becomes son before a vowel or silent h: son amie, son idée, son histoire. | his, her, its (before a feminine singular noun) | Elle cherche sa veste partout. She's looking for her jacket everywhere. | |
| 9 | ses Don't confuse it with ces ("these/those") — identical pronunciation, different word. | his, her, its (before a plural noun) | Elle m'a présenté ses parents. She introduced me to her parents. | |
| 10 | notre Same form for masculine and feminine. In relaxed speech it is shortened to not' : not' maison (familiar). | our (before a singular noun) | Notre appartement est vraiment petit. Our apartment is really small. | |
| 11 | nos Pronounced "no"; the s is heard only in liaison: nos enfants = "no-zan-fan". Vacances is always plural in French. | our (before a plural noun) | Nos vacances commencent vendredi soir. Our vacation starts Friday evening. | |
| 12 | votre Goes with vous: one person you address politely, or several people at once. | your (formal or plural, before a singular noun) | Quel est votre nom, s'il vous plaît ? What is your name, please? | |
| 13 | vos Plural of votre; liaison before a vowel: vos amis = "vo-za-mee". | your (formal or plural, before a plural noun) | N'oubliez pas vos billets ! Don't forget your tickets! | |
| 14 | leur No feminine form: leur maison, leur frère. Different word from the pronoun leur ("to them") in je leur parle. | their (before a singular noun) | Leur fils a cinq ans. Their son is five years old. | |
| 15 | leurs The s matches the noun, not the number of owners. | their (before a plural noun) | Ils ont vendu leurs deux voitures. They sold their two cars. | |
| 16 | mon amie Ma amie is impossible: before a vowel or silent h, ma/ta/sa become mon/ton/son. The noun stays feminine: mon amie est gentille. | my friend (female) | Mon amie travaille dans un café. My (female) friend works in a café. | |
| 17 | son propre Propre before the noun means "own" and agrees: sa propre voiture. After the noun it means "clean": une chemise propre. | his/her own | Il a son propre bureau maintenant. He has his own office now. | |
| 18 | à moi Not an adjective: it follows être to stress ownership. Same pattern: à toi, à lui, à elle, à nous, à vous, à eux. | mine, belongs to me | Ce manteau est à moi. This coat is mine. | |
| 19 | le mien A possessive pronoun, it replaces the noun: la mienne (f.), les miens, les miennes. | mine (the one that is mine) | Ton café est froid, prends le mien. Your coffee is cold, take mine. | |
| 20 | le sien Pronoun: la sienne (f.), les siens, les siennes. Like son/sa, it can mean "his" or "hers". | his, hers (the one that is his/hers) | J'ai pris mon vélo et elle a pris le sien. I took my bike and she took hers. |
Born in Lyon, living in Montréal. I write the phrases the way people actually say them on both sides of the Atlantic and mark the difference when it matters.
Questions about this deck
- Why do the French say "mon amie" and not "ma amie"?
- Because French avoids two vowel sounds crashing together. Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel or a silent h, ma, ta and sa are replaced by mon, ton and son: mon amie, ton adresse, son histoire. The noun stays feminine, so adjectives still agree: mon amie est française.
- Does "son" mean his or her?
- Both. The possessive agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner. Son sac is "his bag" or "her bag" because sac is masculine; sa voiture is "his car" or "her car" because voiture is feminine. To remove the ambiguity in speech, add à lui or à elle: c'est sa voiture à elle.
- What is the difference between leur and leurs?
- Leur goes before a singular noun (leur maison, leur fils) and leurs before a plural noun (leurs enfants, leurs idées). Both already mean several owners, so the s only marks the number of things owned. Leur has no separate feminine form: leur frère, leur sœur.
- When should I use votre instead of ton or ta?
- Use ton/ta/tes with anyone you call tu: family, friends, children, close colleagues. Use votre/vos with anyone you call vous: a stranger, a shop assistant, a boss, or a group of people. In Québec, tu and ton come much earlier in a relationship than in France, including in many shops and cafés.
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