French grammar: pronoms possessifs simples

What this grammar point covers

In French, 'pronoms possessifs simples' are words that replace a noun and show to whom something belongs (like 'mine', 'yours', 'his', etc.). They agree in gender and number with the noun they replace.

When to use it

Use French possessive pronouns when you want to say that something belongs to someone, but you don't want to repeat the noun. For example, instead of repeating 'la voiture de Marie', you can say 'la sienne'.

Key forms

• le mien, la mienne, les miens, les miennes
• le tien, la tienne, les tiens, les tiennes
• le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes
• le nôtre, la nôtre, les nôtres
• le vôtre, la vôtre, les vôtres
• le leur, la leur, les leurs

Examples

Tips

• Always match the pronoun to the gender and number of the noun it replaces, not the owner.
• Possessive pronouns in French always have an article (le, la, les) before them.
• Do not confuse French possessive pronouns with possessive adjectives (like mon, ma, mes).

Exceptions and edge cases

• For 'son, sa, ses' and 'le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes', the gender depends on the noun possessed, not the owner.