How do you say "my" in French?

Possessive adjectives in French

Let's have a look at the possessive adjectives in French

What are possessive adjectives?

The word “my” is called a possessive adjective. It’s used to show that something belongs to you.

In English, there is only one way to say “my”, and that’s, well, “my”.

my son
my daughter
my car
my house
my imagination
my decision

How do you say "my" in French?

In French, there are three different ways to say my: a masculine version, a feminine version and a plural version

Masculine – mon
Feminine – ma
Plural – mes

The pronunciation of the word “mon” is “mon(g)”.

The pronunciation of the word “ma” is “mah”.

The pronunciation of the word “mes” is “meh”.

So, “mon”, “ma” and “mes” are possessive adjectives, meaning they are the words for “my” in French. The version you use depends on whether the noun it goes in front of is a masculine noun, a feminine noun or a plural noun. If it’s plural, it doesn’t matter whether it’s masculine or feminine; you simply use “mes”.

You put the word “mon” in front of nouns that are masculine and singular, you put the word “ma” in front of nouns that are feminine and singular. You put “mes” in front of nouns that are plural.

Here are some examples:

mon café – my coffee
mon thé – my tea
mon fils – my son
mon stylo – my pen

ma maison – my house
ma voiture – my car
ma sœur – my sister
ma réservation – my reservation

mes enfants – my children
mes amis – my friends
mes clés – my keys
mes parents – my parents

Feminine nouns that start with a vowel

If you have a feminine noun that starts with a vowel or the letter H, you must use the word “mon” for “my” instead of “ma”. The reason is because it makes it easier to say, and it also sounds nicer to French ears.

mon addition – my bill
mon amie – my friend
mon histoire – my story

If you try saying, “ma amie” and then “mon amie”, you’ll see how the second version just sounds like it flows better.

Let's practise

Have a go at saying the sentences below in French. Firstly, here’s some vocabulary you may need:

MASCULINE NOUNS
passport – passeport
child – enfant
parent – parent
son – fils
husband – mari
wallet – portefeuille

FEMININE NOUNS
house – maison
car – voiture
bill – addition
key – clé
daughter – fille
wife – femme

EXTRA VOCABULARY
I would like – je voudrais
do you have? – avez-vous?
do you like? – aimez-vous?
is – est
are – sont
with me – avec moi
where – où
please – s’il vous plaît
I’ve lost – j’ai perdu
here – ici

I would like my bill, please
Do you have my passport?
I’ve lost my passport
Where is my key?
Where are my children?
My parents are here
My daughter is with me
My son is with my husband
Do you have my wallet
Where is my wife?
I’ve lost my key
Do you like my car?
My house is here
Do you have my keys?
Where is my child?
Where is my wallet?
My daughters are with my wife
My sons are with me
My keys are here
I’ve lost my wallet

ANSWERS

Je voudrais mon addition, s’il vous plaît
Avez-vous mon passeport ?
J’ai perdu mon passeport
Où est ma clé?
Où sont mes enfants?
Mes parents sont ici
Ma fille est avec moi
Mon fils est avec mon mari
Avez-vous mon portefeuille?
Où est ma femme?
J’ai perdu ma clé
Aimez-vous ma voiture?
Ma maison est ici
Avez-vous mes clés?
Où est mon enfant?
Où est mon portefeuille?
Mes filles sont avec ma femme?
Mes fils sont avec moi
Mes clés sont ici
J’ai perdu mon portefeuille

In context

It’s always good to look at rules in context, because it helps to solidify them in your mind. So, let’s read through the lyrics of the Johnny Hallyday song, “Je te promets”, meaning, “I promise you”, in English. We’ll focus on any possessive adjectives we see.

JE TE PROMETS

Je te promets le sel au baiser de ma bouche
Je te promets le miel à ma main qui te touche
Je te promets le ciel au-dessus de ta couche
Des fleurs et des dentelles pour que tes nuits soient douces

Je te promets la clé des secrets de mon âme
Je te promets la vie de mes rires à mes larmes
Je te promets le feu à la place des armes
Plus jamais des adieux rien que des au revoir

Je te promets mes bras pour porter tes angoisses
Je te promets mes mains pour que tu les embrasses
Je te promets mes yeux si tu ne peux plus voir
Je te promets d’être heureux si tu n’as plus d’espoir

ma bouche — my mouth
ma main — my hand
mon âme — my soul
mes rires — my laughs
mes larmes — my tears
mes bras — my arms
mes mains — my hands
mes yeux — my eyes