Be taught the Possessive Pronouns in French to Present Possession and Keep away from Repetition
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If you wish to sound extra pure and fewer repetitive as you be taught to talk French, figuring out easy methods to use possessive pronouns is essential. French pronoms possessifs (possessive pronouns) are generally used to speak about who owns an object or different possession. As you have interaction with Rosetta Stone classes, you may apply utilizing possessive pronouns and get real-time suggestions from TruAccent.
What are les pronoms possessifs (possessive pronouns)?
Possessive pronouns specific possession of one thing and take the place of a possessive adjective or a noun in a sentence. In English, we use the possessive pronouns “mine,” “yours,” “his,” “hers,” “ours,” and “theirs.”
See how possessive pronouns are used within the following instance in French:
- Ce crayon est mon crayon, pas ton crayon. = This pencil is my pencil, not your pencil.
- Ce crayon est le mien, pas le tien. = This pencil is mine, not yours.
The second sentence makes use of possessive pronouns in French, which permits your speech to sound much less repetitive and extra like a local speaker.
Listing of possessive pronouns in French
As with all issues associated to French nouns, possessive pronouns in French should agree in gender and in quantity with the noun they modify. Realizing easy methods to use French pronouns (particularly topic pronouns) is extraordinarily useful when deciding which French possessive pronoun to make use of.
| Topic Pronoun | Masculine/Female Singular Types | Masculine/Female Plural Types | English |
| je (first particular person singular) | (le) mien/(la) mienne | (les) miens/(les) miennes | mine |
| tu (second particular person singular casual) | (le) tien/(la) tienne | (les) tiens/(les) tiennes | yours |
| il/elle/iel (third particular person singular) | (le) sien/(la) sienne | (les) siens/(les) siennes | his/hers/theirs |
| nous (first particular person plural) | (le)/(la) nôtre | (les) nôtres | ours |
| vous (second particular person plural and/or formal) | (le)/(la) vôtre | (les) vôtres | yours |
| ils/elles/iels (third particular person plural) | (le)/(la) leur | (les) leurs | theirs |
The next instance sentences aid you higher perceive how French possessive pronouns are used:
- Cette maison est plus grande que la nôtre. = This home is larger than ours.
- Utilisez cette chaise-ci; celle-là est la mienne. = Use this chair right here; that one is mine.
- Son travail ? Elle l’aime bien, mais elle préférait faire le tien. = Her work? She likes it sufficient, however she would like to do yours.
All of those examples use the particular article that agrees with the noun they’re describing.
When to make use of possessive pronouns in French
There are a selection of conditions for utilizing possessive pronouns in French, however all of them embrace exhibiting possession (possession) and/or avoiding repetition.
Use possessive pronouns to keep away from repetition
When utilizing a possessive adjective and a noun like “my canine” or “their canine,” it will be repetitive to maintain saying these phrases inside a sentence or dialog. You should utilize the possessive pronouns “mine” and “theirs” to have a extra natural-sounding dialog in a case like this.
All of those sentences are grammatically appropriate, however through the use of possessive pronouns, you may keep away from repeating the phrases “my canine” and “their canine” because the dialog progresses.
- Mon chien est plus grand que leur chien. = My canine is larger than their canine.
- Mon chien est plus grand que le leur. = My canine is larger than theirs.
- Le mien est plus grand que le leur. = Mine is larger than theirs.
Realizing possessive pronouns in French permits you to have extra choices when deciding easy methods to reply, relying on the state of affairs in entrance of you.
Use possessive pronouns to specific possession
Essentially the most fundamental utilization for possessive pronouns is to speak about who or what one thing belongs to.
- Cette montre est la mienne. = This watch is mine.
- Ces baskets sont les siennes. = These sneakers are his.
- Cette voiture est la vôtre. = This automotive is yours. (plural)
- Ce ballon est le leur. = This ball is theirs.
Use possessive pronouns to distinction totally different homeowners
Possessive pronouns can be used to emphasise the distinction between totally different homeowners.
- Cette pizza est la mienne, pas la sienne. = This pizza is mine, not hers.
- Ces feutres sont les leurs, pas les nôtres. = These markers are theirs, not ours.
How you can use possessive pronouns in French
Possessive pronouns in French can appear difficult at first, however you’ll be utilizing them like a professional very quickly utilizing the next pointers.
French possessive pronouns and nouns have to agree
As beforehand acknowledged, a French possessive pronoun should agree in gender and quantity with the noun it’s modifying. That is totally different than in English, the place the possessive agrees with the one who owns the noun being described.
The next examples display the totally different types of “mine” in French, relying on the noun that belongs to the particular person talking:
- Ce moveable, c’est le mien. = This cellphone, it’s mine. (masculine singular)
- Cette agrafeuse, c’est la mienne. = This stapler, it’s mine. (female singular)
- Ces cadeaux, ce sont les miens. = These presents, they’re mine. (masculine plural)
- Ces lunettes, ce sont les miennes. = These glasses, they’re mine. (female plural)
Within the plural varieties “ours,” “yours,” and “theirs,” there isn’t any distinction for masculine and female nouns:
- Ces pulls, ce sont les nôtres. = These sweaters, they’re ours.
- Ces sandales, ce sont les nôtres. = These sandals, they’re ours.
French possessive pronouns should contract with the prepositions à and de
With the French prepositions à (to, in, at) and de (of, from), the particular articles le and les have to contract:
- On ne peut pas téléphoner à mon frère, peut-on téléphoner au tien ? = We will’t name my brother, can we name yours?
- J’ai déjà parlé de mes idées, peut-on parler des leurs ? = I already talked about my concepts, can we speak about theirs?
Some French grammar guidelines could be overwhelming, however if you happen to attempt studying one a part of speech at a time, it might probably really feel manageable.
Keep away from the anomaly of le(s) sien(ne)(s)
In English, the possessive pronoun agrees with the proprietor of the article:
- This croissant is hers.
- This croissant is his.
Possessive pronouns in French aren’t used the identical manner. This may be particularly difficult within the third particular person singular, as seen above, as a result of, in French, there isn’t any distinction between “his” and “hers.”
- Ce croissant est le sien. = This croissant is hers.
- Ce croissant est le sien. = This croissant is his.
In French, as a result of the phrase croissant is masculine singular, the possessive pronoun should agree with it—It doesn’t matter who owns the croissant. You should utilize disjunctive pronouns with the preposition à (to/at) so as to add further emphasis or just à with the particular person’s identify.
- Ce croissant est le sien, à elle. = This croissant is hers.
- Ce croissant est le sien, à Gustave. = This croissant is his (Gustave’s).
Use the French possessive pronoun vôtre to say “cheers”
A typical expression in French to say “cheers” is à votre santé, which accurately means “to your well being.” To reply to this, you merely say à la vôtre (to yours). As a result of the phrase santé is female, you utilize the particular article la.
Possessive pronouns vs. possessive adjectives
It’s additionally essential to know easy methods to differentiate between French possessive pronouns and possessive adjectives when speaking about who owns one thing.
Possessive adjectives in English are phrases like “my” and “your.” You possibly can see this within the instance from earlier than:
- Ce crayon est mon crayon, pas ton crayon. = This pencil is my pencil, not your pencil.
Similar to possessive pronouns, possessive adjectives should agree in gender and quantity with the noun they’re modifying (not the proprietor). Each of the above varieties are within the masculine singular to agree with the phrase crayon (pencil).
This chart reveals the possessive adjectives which can be usually confused with possessive pronouns:
| Topic Pronoun | Masculine/Female Singular Types | Plural Type | English |
| je (first particular person singular) | mon/ma | mes | my |
| tu (second particular person singular casual) | ton/ta | tes | your |
| il/elle/iel (third particular person singular) | son/sa | ses | his/her/their |
| nous (first particular person plural) | notre | nos | our |
| vous (second particular person plural and/or formal) | votre | vos | your |
| ils/elles/iels (third particular person plural) | leur | leurs | their |
5 important takeaways for possessive pronouns in French
Mastering possessive pronouns is an important a part of studying French. Take your conversations to the following stage by remembering:
- French possessive pronouns are equal to the English phrases “mine,” “yours,” “ours,” and so forth.
- Possessive pronouns are totally different from possessive adjectives “my,” “your,” and so forth.
- Possessive pronouns in French should agree in gender and quantity with the noun they’re describing (not the proprietor of the noun).
- Use the particular article with French possessive pronouns, which should additionally agree in gender and quantity.
- Use possessive pronouns in French to suggest possession and to keep away from repetition in your French talking.
