French possessive pronouns are the equivalents of English words like “mine,” “yours,” “his,” or “ours,” and you will use them to replace a nounNo definition set for nounLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. that has been mentioned before or that is obvious in the conversation. Possessive pronouns are sometimes confused with French possessive adjectives. The key difference is that possessive pronouns don’t precede a noun like the adjectives do (mon voisin(my neighbor)).
Let’s examine this quote from Les Enfants Terribles by Jean Cocteau, which I am reading at the moment:
Ah ! soupirait Paul, quand j’aurai ma chambre…
“Ah,” Paul sighed, “the day I’ll have my own room…”
Et moi la mienne.
“And the day I’ll have mine.”
Elle sera propre ta chambre !
“Your bedroom will be clean!”
Plus propre que la tienne !
“Cleaner than yours!”
As you can see, unlike in English, French possessive pronouns are a compound: you need a definite article (here, la(the)) and a pronoun (here, mienne(mine), tienne(yours)).
Another difference from English is that the possessive pronoun in French agrees in numberNo definition set for numberLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. and genderNo definition set for genderLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. with the noun it substitutes, not the person it belongs to:
Plus propre que la tienne !
Cleaner than yours!
In this post, we’ll review the French possessive pronouns, how to use them with the prepositions à and de, and their rules of agreement. Continue reading and you will know everything there is to know to master possessive pronouns in French!
The French possessive pronouns are composed of a definite article (le, la etc.) and a pronoun that agrees in gender and number with the noun they replace, such as “le mien,” “la mienne,” “les miens,” or “les miennes.” They replace a noun that was previously mentioned or that is obvious in a situation.
J’aime beaucoup son appartement mais je préfère le tien.
I love his apartment, but I prefer yours. → previously mentioned
Attends, c’est le mien !
Wait! It’s mine! → obvious
Let’s review the different possessive pronouns in French, starting with the singular pronouns!
The singularNo definition set for singularLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. possessive pronouns in French are le mien, la mienne, le tien, la tienne, le sien, la sienne, le nôtre, la nôtre, le vôtre, la vôtre, le leur, and la leur. French possessive pronouns take the gender and number of the noun they replace, so “mine” will have four translations: two singular (as you can see above) and two plural. If you memorize the singular form, it will be easy to remember the plural form! Let’s first have a look at singular possessive pronouns:
Masculine possessive adjectives | Feminine possessive adjectives |
|---|---|
mon | ma |
ton | ta |
son | sa |
notre | notre |
votre | votre |
leur | leur |
→
Masculine possessive pronouns | Feminine possessive pronouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
le mien | la mienne | mine |
le tien | la tienne | yours (informal) |
le sien | la sienne | his/hers/one’s |
le nôtre | la nôtre | ours |
le vôtre | la vôtre | yours (formal or plural) |
le leur | la leur | theirs |
Il n’est pas à moi ce téléphone.
This is not my phone.
Elle sait, c’est le sien !
She knows, it’s hers!
The more the better: when there is an article, there is an accent!
In French, accents are sometimes used for grammatical purposes. The circumflex accent for le nôtre(ours) and le vôtre(yours) is a way to differentiate these possessive pronouns from the possessive adjectives notre(our) and votre(your) (which don’t follow an article like the possessive pronouns!).
Now that you know the singular possessive pronouns, let’s take a look at the plural pronouns!
The pluralNo definition set for pluralLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum. possessive pronouns in French are les miens, les miennes, les tiens, les tiennes, les siens, les siennes, les nôtres, les vôtres, and les leurs. To get the plural form of possessive pronouns, just replace le/la with les and add an -s! It’s easy peasy! Here is a table just in case:
Masculine and feminine possessive adjectives |
|---|
mes |
tes |
ses |
nos |
vos |
leurs |
→
Masculine possessive pronouns | Feminine possessive pronouns | Translation |
|---|---|---|
les miens | les miennes | mine |
les tiens | les tiennes | yours (informal) |
les siens | les siennes | his/hers/one’s |
les nôtres | ours | |
les vôtres | yours (formal or plural) | |
les leurs | theirs | |
Vous avez vos clés ? Nous avons oublié les nôtres.
Do you have your keys? We forgot ours.
When possessive pronouns are used after the prepositions à and de, you’ll need to remember the contractions that the preposition and the definite article of the possessive pronoun produce. Let’s do some French math!
With the preposition à | With the preposition de |
|---|---|
à + le = au BUT à + la = à la | de + le = du BUT de + la = de la |
For example:
Tu penses à ton anniversaire ?
Are you thinking about your birthday?
Non, je pense au tien !
No, I’m thinking about yours!
Tu vas t’occuper de leurs enfants ?
Will you look after their children?
Je vais m’occuper des leurs et des miens.
I’ll be looking after theirs and mine.
To translate an English possessive pronoun like “mine” or “yours” into French, you can either use a French possessive pronoun or use à + stressed pronoun to indicate possession.
Cette voiture, c’est la nôtre ! ⇔ Cette voiture est à nous !
This car is ours!
Did you notice how in the example we say "c'est la nôtre" but "est à nous"? This is because sometimes, when you say, C’est à nous ! it doesn’t necessarily mean something is yours but that it is your turn! So, next time you play a game in French, you can say, C’est à toi !(Your turn!) or C’est à moi ?(Is it my turn?).
What about the negation by the way?!
The possessive pronouns go after the negation pas when they are objects.
Ce portable n’est pas le sien.
This mobile phone is not hers.
There is a little bit more to possessive pronouns, but you are almost there! Check below to understand how agreements work between possessive pronouns and verbs, adjectives, and the expressions c’est and ce sont.
Here are some important rules of agreement to remember with possessive pronouns:
The verb agrees with a subject possessive pronoun in number
Adjectives agree with the possessive pronouns they describe in gender and number
The expressions c'est...(it is...) and ce sont...(they are...) must match the number of the possessive pronoun that follows them.
Let's look at some detailed examples!
Verbs agree in number with the possessive pronoun, and adjectives agree in both gender and number with the noun the possessive pronoun replaces. Remember, possessive pronouns replace the noun:
Mes lunettes sont bleues. → Les miennes sont bleues.
My glasses are blue. → Mine are blue.
When there is a subject-verb inversion, remember the verb introducing the possessive pronoun agrees in number:
Pour la cérémonie, tes parents entrent en premier puis entrent les miens.
For the ceremony, your parents go in first and then my parents do.
When using possessive pronouns with c’est and ce sont, remember the agreement works as follows:
C’est
singular possessive pronoun
&
Ce sont
plural possessive pronoun
Celui-là, c’est le sien et ceux-là, ce sont les tiens.
This one is hers and these are yours.
Lots of French natives say, C’est les miens !(They're mine!). It is becoming more and more acceptable, but keep in mind the standard way!
While in English you can say, “He’s mine/yours/his/etc.,” in French you can’t use a possessive pronoun after il est(he is) when speaking about someone or something masculine singular. Il est is followed by an adjective or a profession. Same for elle(she) and ils and elles(they)!
Jérôme est son coloc ?
Is Jérôme his housemate?
❌ Non, il est le mien. → ✅ Non, c’est le mien.
No, he’s mine.
Ces clés sont à toi ?
Are these keys yours?
❌ Non, elles sont les miennes. → ✅ Non, ce sont les miennes.
No, they’re mine!
(Wondering about the differences between C’est and Il est... in French? We’ve got you covered!)
Check the box below to remember the key facts about French possessive pronouns and then head to practice the different forms of French possessive pronouns with our activities!
When using possessive pronouns in French, keep the following tips in mind:
In French, possessive pronouns agree in number and gender with the noun they replace, not the possessor, like in English.
Unlike English, French possessive pronouns are a compound: definite article + pronoun.
Remember to contract the definite article with the prepositions à and de. ❌ à le mien → ✅ au mien and ❌ de le mien → ✅ du mien.
You can’t have il/elle est, ils/elles sont + possessive pronoun. You need to use C’est + singular and Ce sont + plural possessive pronouns.
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