Possessive Adjectives: mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes, son/sa/ses

In English, we say "his car" and "her car." The word changes based on the person owning it. French works differently. The word changes based on the thing you own. If the thing is masculine, you use a masculine word. If the thing is feminine, you use a feminine word. If there are many things, you use a plural word. It is like a grammar traffic light. Green means the gender matches. Red means you need to stop and check the noun. Always look at the noun first. Is it a boy noun or a girl noun? Is it singular or plural? Once you know that, the rest is easy. It feels weird at first, but you will get it. Even native speakers had to learn this once!

1. 1Identify the owner: Is it me (je), you (tu), or him/her (il/elle)?
2. 2Check the noun's gender: Is the object masculine or feminine?
3. 3Check the noun's number: Is there one object or many?
4. 4For je (my): Use mon (masc.), ma (fem.), or mes (plural).
5. 5For tu (your): Use ton (masc.), ta (fem.), or tes (plural).
6. 6For il/elle (his/her): Use son (masc.), sa (fem.), or ses (plural).
7. 7Special Rule: Use the masculine form if a feminine noun starts with a vowel.

Use these words whenever you want to show a connection. Use them when ordering food to talk about mon plat. Use them in a job interview for mon expérience. Use them when asking directions for ma destination. They are perfect for describing your family tree. You can say mon père or ma sœur. They are also great for daily items. Talk about mon téléphone or mes clés. Use them to express feelings about mon idée. They make your sentences feel personal and real. Without them, you just sound like a robot listing items.

Do not use them with body parts in certain sentences. French people usually say "the hand" instead of "my hand" with verbs. For example, Je me lave les mains is better than ma main. Do not use them if you already used an article. You cannot say le mon chat. That is like saying "the my cat." It sounds silly! Avoid them when talking about general concepts. If you love coffee in general, just say J'aime le café. Only use mon café if it is the specific cup in your hand.

Many people use sa for a girl's object and son for a boy's. Remember, son livre can mean "his book" or "her book." The book is masculine, so we use son. This is the biggest hurdle for English speakers. Another mistake is forgetting the vowel rule. People say ma amie because the friend is a girl. But amie starts with a vowel. You must say mon amie to keep the sound smooth. It sounds like "mon-namie." It is like a secret bridge between words. If it sounds clunky, you might have the wrong one.

Compare these to le, la, and les. Those just mean "the." They are neutral and distant. Mon, ma, and mes are personal. They show a specific bond. Also, do not confuse son with the verb sont. Ils sont means "they are." Son chien means "his dog." They sound the same but look different. It is like "there" and "their" in English. Context will always save you here. If you are talking about a dog, it is probably ownership. If you are talking about people doing something, it is a verb.