Possessive adjectives 1 Definitions Possessives adjectives are
adjectives
which are used to indicate possession:
Ma voiture est italienne tandis
que sa voiture est allemande
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My car is Italian whilst his / her car is German
2 Use 2.1 General In French, possessive adjectives agree with the
noun
they precede (i.e.
Elle a oublié son livre
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She has forgotten her book ).
Table 42.2.1a: Possessive adjectives
masc sing fem sing plural my mon ma mes your ton ta tes his/her son sa ses our notre notre nos your votre votre vos their leur leur leurs
Veux-tu lire mon magazine /
mes notes?
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Do you want to read my magazine
/ my notes?
Il s'entend bien avec son beau-père
/ sa belle-mère
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He gets on well with his stepfather
/ his stepmother
Elle a perdu sa montre / ses
lunettes
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She's lost her watch / her
glasses
Tu t’entends bien avec tes collègues?
Do you get on well with your colleagues?
Est-ce qu’elle a trouvé son chat?
Has she found her cat?
On a demandé aux passagers de montrer leur passeport.
Passengers were asked to show their passports.
Les entreprises ont tendance à établir leur siège social à Paris.
Firms tend to set up their head offices in Paris.
Ils ressemblent beaucoup à leur père.
They look a lot like their father.
2.2 Masculine forms with feminine nouns
/ adjectives
The masculine forms mon , ton
and son are used before a
feminine
singular
noun
or adjective beginning with a
vowel
or
unaspirated
h :
mon idée
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my idea
ton autre soeur
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Your other sister
son habitude
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his / her habit
Le village est fier de son église médiévale.
The village is proud of its medieval church.
Tu peux me donner ton adresse?
Can you give me your address?
Elle a oublié son écharpe dans la voiture.
She left her scarf in the car.
Son avance sur ses concurrents se réduit.
Its lead over its competitors is being reduced.
J’ai posé mon échelle contre le mur de la maison.
I put my ladder against the wall of the house.
2.3 Repetition
Unlike in English,
possessive adjectives
are usually repeated before
each
noun
they apply to:
Il a apporté son chapeau, son
pardessus et son parapluie
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He brought his hat, overcoat and umbrella
2.4 Nouns referring to parts of the body
Here the
definite article
is often used where English would use a possessive
(e.g his , her ):
Elle ferma les yeux pour mieux
se concentrer
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She closed her eyes to concentrate
better
Elle marchait les yeux fermés
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She was walking with her eyes
shut
Cette soupe est si chaude que je me suis brûlé la langue.
This soup is so hot I’ve burnt my tongue.
Elle se croisa les bras et attendit.
She folded her arms and waited.
Mets tes lunettes au lieu de cligner les yeux.
Put your glasses on instead of straining your eyes.
Elle appuya les mains sur le rebord de la fenêtre.
She leant her hands on the windowsill.
Massez le pied pour que la pommade pénètre bien dans la peau.
Rub your foot well so that the ointment penetrates well into the skin.
2.5 On etc. Note that the
impersonal pronoun
on and other
impersonal expressions take son
/ sa / ses :
On a le droit de faire son
service militaire à l'étranger
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You have the right to do your military service abroad
Avant d'aller à l'université il faut
d'abord avoir son bac
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Before going to university you must first have your baccalaureate
Il faut savoir reconnaître ses erreurs.
You should be able to acknowledge your mistakes.
Quand on vieillit on apprécie plus son confort.
When you get older you appreciate your conforts more.
On se souvient rarement de ses rêves quand on se réveille.
You rarely remember your dreams when you wake up.
Quand on est célèbre il faut savoir choisir ses amis avec prudence.
When you’re famous you need to choose your friends wisely.
Que faire quand on est à l’étranger et qu’on a perdu ses papiers?
What can you do when you’re abroad and have lost all your papers?
