Chapitre Quatre
Les adjectifs possessifs
Exercice 4.19 - 4.22
Les adjectifs possessifs
In English, possessive adjectives are my, your, his, her, our & their. In French, possessive adjectives go before the noun (just like in English), but we have to account for plurality (and gender for singular forms).
Ma voiture est rouge. (Notice how everything is singular throughout the sentence).
Mes chiens sont grands. (Notice how everything is plural throughout the sentence).
What comes after the possessive adjective determines if you will use (masculine/feminine) singular or plural.
Mon copain (1 male friend; my) Ma copine (1 female friend; my) Mes copains (2+ friends; my)
Possessive Adjectives
“Our,” “your,” and “their” do not differentiate between masculine or feminine, but they do differentiate between singular and plural.
- notre amie (our friend) nos amies (our friends)
- votre chat (your cat) vos chats (your cats)
- leur mère (their mom) leurs mères (their moms)
Exercice 4.19
There is no possessive “s” in French like there is in English. This is a very hard habit to break for native English speakers, so put in the extra effort. To express the same idea, we have to follow a strict formula to communicate possession:
definite article + (the possession) + de + (person’s name or title)
My mom’s car = la voiture de ma mère
Julie’s boyfriend = le petit ami de Julie.
Antoine’s job = le travail d’Antoine
My grandma’s cookies = les biscuits de ma grand-mère
My dog’s toys = les jouets de mon chien
Exercice 4.20
Exercice 4.21
Exercice 4.22
Media Attributions
- hand and cookies is licensed under a CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution NonCommercial NoDerivatives) license
my (followed by a feminine singular noun)
car
is
red
my (followed by a plural noun)
dogs
are
big (masculine, plural form)
My (followed by masculine singular noun)
friend/boyfriend
friend/girlfriend
friends (male or mixed group)
our (this is the word that comes before a singular noun)
our (this is the word that comes before a plural noun)
your (followed by a masculine singular noun)
your (followed by a feminine singular noun)
your (followed by plural noun)
plural or formal possessive "your" as in "your guys'" or "ya'll's" (this comes before a singular noun)
plural or formal possessive "your" as in "your guys'" or "ya'll's" (this comes before a plural noun)
his/her (this is the word that comes before a masculine, singular noun)
his/her (this is the word that comes before a feminine, singular noun)
his or her (followed by plural noun)
this word serves two distinct grammar functions:
their (as a possessive before a singular noun)
to them (as an indirect object pronoun)
their (this comes before a plural noun)
