Express possession in French

February 6, 2022
, A1, A2, B1, French Grammar Explained

In today’s lesson, we are going to learn how to express possession in French. C’est parti !

How to express possession in French – Écouter

There are different ways to express possession in French. Let’s take a look at the very first ones that you learn in A1 French : the verb “avoir” and “les adjectifs possessifs” (possessive adjectives).

Using “avoir”

One of the first verbs that you learn in French is the verb “to have”, “avoir”.
The “easiest” way to express possession in French is to use this verb. For example:

J’ai une voiture rouge.
Il a un chat.

However, this isn’t enough. The next structure that you can use is building a sentence with a possessive adjective.

Possessive adjectives in French

A possessive adjective in French changes according to 2 elements:
1. The subject’s number (singular or plural) – This is the person who possesses the object.
2. The object’s gender and number – This is what is being owned.

If you would like a more in-depth lesson on French possessive adjectives, you can click here.

Basically, here’s a table to sum it up.

*Possesseur*	Possessif			English
	Singulier		Pluriel
Singulier	Masculin	Féminin
	Mon	Ma	Mes	My
	Ton	Ta	Tes	Your
	Son	Sa	Ses	His / her
Pluriel	Notre		Nos	Our
	Votre		Vos	Your
	Leur		Leurs	Their

So if the possessor is singular (there is only one), you can either use:
Mon, ma, mes, (my)
Ton, ta, tes (your)
Son, sa, ses (his/her)

If the possessor is plural (more than one), you can either use:

Notre, nos (our)

Votre, vos (your, plural or formal)

Leur, leurs (their).

Using “de”

Another way to express possession in French is by using the preposition “de”.

For example:

C’est la voiture de ma soeur.
C’est le chat de Julie.

This is like using “of” in English. It can be used if it’s followed by the noun representing the possessor.
Therefore, the structure is:

[…] the object + de + the possessor […]

Using “à”

You can also use “à” for the same purpose. However, the rules change.
Take a look at the sentences below:

Cette voiture est à ma soeur.
Le chat est à Julie.
La maison est à moi.

In these sentences, you can see that “à” is following the verb “être“. “À” is also followed by the possessor. The possessor can either be a noun, a proper noun or even a tonic pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles).
The structure should then be:

[…] the object + être + à + the possessor […]

Be careful NOT to use “à” directly after the object (such as : c’est le chat à ma soeur). You might have heard some native French speakers say this, but it’s incorrect. You should not use “à” in between 2 nouns to express possession in French.

However, there are some expressions that are fixed, such as:
Le fils à papa (or le fils à maman) – Daddy’s boy / Mommy’s boy
La barbe à papa – Cotton candy

Possessive pronouns in French

The last way to express possession in French is by using possessive pronouns.

Le chat, c’est le sien.
La voiture ? C’est la sienne.
À qui est la maison ? C’est la mienne.
Tu as vu tes chaussures ? – Et toi, tu as vu les tiennes ?

These pronouns will agree with the gender and the number of the object they are replacing. Remember, a pronoun is replacing a noun or a group of nouns. In English, they are the equivalents of:
Mine, yours, his, hers, ours, yours, theirs.

Le chat, c’est le sien. = Le chat (MASCULIN SINGULIER) –> Le + pronoun “sien” (his/hers)

La voiture ? C’est la sienne. = La voiture (FEMININ SINGULIER) –> La + pronoun “sienne” (his/hers)

À qui est la maison ? C’est la mienne. = La maison (FEMININ SINGULIER) –> La + pronoun “mienne” (mine)

Les chaussures, ce sont les tiennes. = Les chaussures (FEMININE PLURAL) –> Les + pronoun “tiennes” (yours).

Basically, the possessive pronoun will change according to the possessor’s number (singular or plural) and the gender and number of the object that is owned.

Here’s a brief table to sum it all up:

Pronom personnel sujet	Nom singulier		Nom pluriel
Pronom personnel sujet	Masculin	Féminin	Masculin	Féminin
Je	le mien	la mienne	les miens	les miennes
Tu	le tien	la tienne	les tiens	les tiennes
Il / elle	le sien	la sienne	les siens	les siennes
Nous	le nôtre	la nôtre	les nôtres
Vous	le vôtre	la vôtre	les vôtres
Ils / elles	le leur	la leur	les leurs

C’est son chat ? Oui, c’est le sien.

C’est leur chat ? Oui, c’est le leur.

Ce sont leurs chats ? Oui, ce sont les leurs.