French Possessive Adjectives

French possessive adjectives indicate who owns something or someone. They agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with the noun they modify (the thing being possessed), not with the possessor.
Here’s a summary table:

Possessor	Masculine Singular	Feminine Singular	Plural (Masc. or Fem.)
Je (I)	mon	ma	mes
Tu (You)	ton	ta	tes
Il/Elle/On (He/She/One)	son	sa	ses
Nous (We)	notre	notre	nos
Vous (You)	votre	votre	vos
Ils/Elles (They)	leur	leur	leurs

Key Rules:

• Agreement with the noun being possessed:
  • J'ai mon livre. ("I have my book." – livre is masculine singular)
  • Elle a sa voiture. ("She has her car." – voiture is feminine singular)
  • Ils ont leur enfants. ("They have their children." – enfants is plural)
• Before a vowel or silent *h* (for feminine singular nouns):
  For smoother pronunciation (euphony), ma, ta, sa become mon, ton, son before a feminine singular noun starting with a vowel or silent *h*:
  • ma amie → mon amie ("my friend")
  • ta école → ton école ("your school")
  • sa histoire → son histoire ("his/her story" – histoire is feminine, silent *h*)
• leur vs. leurs:
  • leur = singular possession (even if the possessors are plural):
    • Les enfants ont leur ballon. ("The children have their ball." – one shared ball)
    • Ils ont leur opinion. ("They have their opinion." – one opinion per person or a shared opinion)
  • leurs = plural possession:
    • Les enfants ont leurs ballons. ("The children have their balls." – multiple balls)
    • Ils ont leurs affaires. ("They have their things." – multiple items)

Why It Matters:

Possessive adjectives are essential for expressing ownership and relationships in French. Correct agreement is a fundamental grammar rule.