Possessive Adjectives

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What is a possessive adjective?

• A possessive adjective is a word which describes a noun by showing who possesses that noun.

• Whose house is that? It’s my house.

My shows who possesses the noun house. The posessor is “me.” The object possessed is house.

The way we do it in ENGLISH

• Like subject pronouns (I, you, he/she, we, etc.), possessive adjectives are identified according to the person they represent.

Singular Possessor

• 1st person my

• 2nd person your

masculine his

• 3rd person feminine her

neuter its

Plural Possessor

• 1st person our

• 2nd person your

• 3rd person their

A possessive adjective changes according to the possessor, regardless

of the object possessed.• Is that John’s house? Yes, it is his house.

• Is that Mary’s house? Yes, it is her house.• Although the object possessed is the same

(house), different possessive adjectives (his and her) are used because the possessors are different (John and Mary).

The French Way

• Like English, a French possessive adjective changes according to the possessor, but unlike English it also AGREES, like all French adjectives, in GENDER and NUMBER with the noun possessed.

• For example, in the phrase mon frère (my brother) the 1st person singular possessor (my) is indicated by the first letter of the possessive adjective, m-, and the gender and number of the noun possessed, frère (brother), which is masculine singular, is reflected in the masculine singular ending -on.

• Let us see what happens when we change my brother to my sister.

I love my sister.

• J’aime ma soeur.

fem. sing. ending

1st pers. sing. possessorThe first letter m- remains the same because the possessor is still the 1st person, but the ending changes to –a to agree with soeur which is feminine.

Examples of Agreement

• J’aime ma soeur.• J’aime mon frère.• J’aime mes animaux.

• M indicates the 1st person posesssive adjective.• -a represents the feminine gender, single noun• -on represents the masculine gender, single

noun• -es represents the masc./fem. gender, plural

noun

Singular Possessormy, your (tu-form), his her, its

In French, each of these possessive adjectives has three forms depending on the gender and number of the noun possessed: the masculine singular, the feminine singular, and the plural (the same for both genders).

1. Indicate the possessor with the first letter of the possessive adjective.• My m-

• Your t-• His

• Her s-• Its

2. Choose the ending according to the gender and number of the noun possessed. (This is called AGREEMENT.)

• If the noun possessed is MASCULINE (or feminine in front of a vowel sound) add –on.

• Anne lit mon livre. Anne reads my book.

(Masc. Sing. Noun) noun possessed

Anne lit ton livre. Anne reads your book.

Anne lit son livre Anne reads her/his book.

Feminine, in front of a vowel sound.

• Paul connaît mon amie. Paul knows my friend.

fem. sing. Nounnoun possessed

begins with vowel

Paul connaît ton amie. Paul knows your friend.

Paul connaît son amie. Paul knows his/her friend.

Feminine and Plural Possessive Adjectives

• If the noun possessed is feminine singular beginning with a consonant add -a

• Paul lit ma lettre.• Paul lit ta lettre.• Paul lit sa lettre.

• If the noun possessed is plural add –es• Anne lit mes livres.• Paul lit tes lettres.• Elle lit ses livres.

Plural Possessorour, your (vous-form), their

• In French, each of these possessive adjectives has only two forms depending on the number of the noun possessed; that is, whether the noun possessed is singular or plural.

Noun possessed is singular: notre, votre, leur

• Marie est notre fille.Mary is our daughter.

possessor

is plural

noun possessed

is singular

• Paul lit votre lettre. Paul reads your letter.

• Ils lisent leur lettre. They read their letter.

Noun possessed is plural: nos, vos, leurs

• Les parents sont nos amis.– The parents are our friends.

owner is plural noun possessed is plural

• Anne lit vos livres. Anne reads your books.

• Elles lisent leurs lettres. They read their letters.

**Careful: Notes on YOU**

• Although VOTRE and VOS are classified as “the second person plural” they can also refer to just one person when used as a formal form of address (such as when speaking to your teacher).

• Remember to use the same form of YOU, either familiar or formal, for the verb and the possessive adjective:

– “You are reading your book” would be either

• “Tu lis ton livre” or

• “Vous lisez votre livre.”

Possessive Adjectives: A SummarySingular Possessor Plural Possessor

Singular plural

masculine

My feminine + vowel

feminine

Mon

Mon

MaMes

your masculine

(tu form) feminine + vowel

feminine

Ton

Ton

TaTes

masculine

His,Her, Its fem. + vowel

feminine

Son

Son

SaSes

Plural

Possessor

Noun Possessed

Singular Plural

Our Notre Nos

Your (vous form) Votre Vos

Their Leur leurs

Your Turn!

His book is in his backpack.

Son livre est dans son sac à dos.

Our house is white.

Notre maison est blanche.

My family likes to hula.

Ma famille aime hula.

Your dogs are cute.

Tes chiens sont mignons.