Published September 11, 2012 • Updated June 14, 2026 — By French teacher David Issokson, teaching French online since 2014
French possessive adjectives show ownership and mean my, your, his, her, our, and their. Unlike English, they agree with the gender and number of the noun being possessed, not with the owner. For example, mon livre means “my book” because livre is masculine, while ma voiture means “my car” because voiture is feminine.
French possessive adjectives chart
| Owner | Masculine singular | Feminine singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| My | mon | ma | mes |
| Your (tu) | ton | ta | tes |
| His / Her / Its | son | sa | ses |
| Our | notre | notre | nos |
| Your (vous) | votre | votre | vos |
| Their | leur | leur | leurs |
The basic rule
French possessive adjectives must agree with the gender and number of the noun they modify, not with the person who owns it. For example, son livre can mean his book or her book, while sa voiture can mean his car or her car. The correct meaning is determined by context.
| Noun | Possessive adjective | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| livre (masculine) | mon livre | my book |
| voiture (feminine) | ma voiture | my car |
| livres (plural) | mes livres | my books |
| voitures (plural) | mes voitures | my cars |
My: mon, ma, mes
Use mon before masculine singular nouns, ma before feminine singular nouns, and mes before all plural nouns.
J’aime mon livre.
I like my book.
J’aime ma voiture.
I like my car.
J’aime mes livres.
I like my books.
J’aime mes voitures.
I like my cars.
Your (tu): ton, ta, tes
Use ton, ta, and tes when speaking to someone with tu.
J’aime ton livre.
I like your book.
J’aime ta voiture.
I like your car.
J’aime tes livres.
I like your books.
J’aime tes voitures.
I like your cars.
His, her, its: son, sa, ses
French uses son, sa, and ses based on the noun’s gender and number, not on whether the owner is male or female.
Il aime son livre.
He likes his book.
Elle aime son livre.
She likes her book.
Il aime sa voiture.
He likes his car.
Elle aime sa voiture.
She likes her car.
Ils aiment ses livres.
They like his books / her books.
⚠️ Important: The possessive adjective agrees with the thing owned, not the person who owns it.
Our: notre, nos
For our, only singular versus plural matters.
Nous aimons notre maison.
We like our house.
Nous aimons nos maisons.
We like our houses.
Your (vous): votre, vos
Use these forms for formal singular you or plural you.
Vous aimez votre livre.
You like your book.
Vous aimez votre maison.
You like your house.
Vous aimez vos livres.
You like your books.
Their: leur, leurs
For their, use leur with singular nouns and leurs with plural nouns.
Ils aiment leur voiture.
They like their car.
Ils aiment leurs voitures.
They like their cars.
Elles aiment leur maison.
They like their house.
Elles aiment leurs maisons.
They like their houses.
Mon before feminine nouns beginning with a vowel
For pronunciation, mon, ton, and son are used before feminine singular nouns that begin with a vowel or mute h.
Mon amie est ici.
My friend is here.
Ton école est grande.
Your school is big.
Son histoire est intéressante.
His/Her story is interesting.
Summary
- mon, ma, mes = my
- ton, ta, tes = your (tu)
- son, sa, ses = his, her, its
- notre, nos = our
- votre, vos = your (vous)
- leur, leurs = their
📚 Related lessons
- French possessive pronouns
- French demonstrative adjectives
- French demonstrative pronouns
- Subject pronouns
- Leur vs. leurs (them vs. their)
- C’est (it’s)
🚀 More lessons on FrenchLearner
