Ce livre est le mien.
English: This book is mine.
- Language
- French
- Level
- B2
- Unit
- Pronoms et leurs emplois
- Practice types
- 0
What this grammar point covers
Possessive pronouns in French replace a noun and show who owns something. They agree with the gender and number of the noun they replace.
When to use it
Use French possessive pronouns to avoid repeating a noun and to show possession. They replace a noun that has already been mentioned or is clear from the context.
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
Voici ta chaise et voilà la mienne.
English: Here is your chair and there is mine.
Leurs enfants jouent avec les nôtres.
English: Their children are playing with ours.
Ta voiture est rouge, la sienne est bleue.
English: Your car is red, hers/his is blue.
Nos idées sont différentes des vôtres.
English: Our ideas are different from yours.
Tips
- Always match the possessive pronoun to the gender and number of the noun it replaces, not to the owner.
- Possessive pronouns in French are always used with the definite article (le, la, les).
- Do not confuse possessive pronouns with possessive adjectives (mon, ton, son, etc.).
Exceptions and edge cases
- For 'son, sa, ses' and 'le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes', the gender depends on the noun owned, not on the owner's gender.