Les adjectifs possessifs Possessive Adjectives
Les adjectifs possessifs There are two ways to express possession. We have already been using one. That’s David’s sister = Ça c’est la soeur de David These are David’s cousins. = Ça ce sont les cousins de David The other way to express possession is to use possessive adjectives (my, his, ours etc.) In French the possessive adjective takes the place of the le or the la.
Les adjectifs possessifs Here are three possessive adjectives in French MY masculine = Mon Feminine = Ma Plural = mes Your (tu) Masculine = Ton Feminine = Ta Plural = tes His or Her Masculine = Son Feminine = Sa Plural =Ses Our Masculine: Notre Feminine: Notre Plural : Nos Your (vous) Masculine: Votre Feminine: Votre Plural: Vos Their Masculine: leur Feminine: leur Plural : Leurs
Possessive Adjectives In French, just like regular adjectives, the possessive adjective must agree with what it is possessing. If the noun is feminine, the possessive adjective is feminine. If the noun is plural, the possessive adjective is plural! Example Ma soeur = my sister Ses cousins = his/her cousins Ton grand-père = your grandfather
SON and SA Son, Sa, and Ses can mean either his or her. The agreement is with the noun possessed, NOT the owner Example: Le chien de Claire = Son chien (because dog is masculine even though it belongs to Claire) Example: His girl cousin Sa cousine
BEFORE A VOWEL Before a masculine or feminine singular noun that beings with a vowel or silent h, you use the masculine form of the possessive adjective Mon ami = masculine vowel Mon amie = feminine vowel = my friend Son amie = feminine vowel =his/her friend Notre enfant = our child
Possessive Adjectives Another way to indicate possession is with the preposition de. De/d’ plus a person’s name is used the same way ‘s is used in English EXAMPLE: J’aime bien le frère d’André = I really like André’s brother. Example: I like Mike’s sister J’aime la soeur de Mike.
CLASS WORK Write the following into French Our mother His aunt My friend (who is a girl) Their daughter Your (formal) teachers He likes the cousin of Yves (girl). We like the uncle of Noelle.