Possessive adjectives – special forms before a vowel
Mon amie, ton école
Ma, ta, sa are used before feminine nouns. But when the feminine noun starts with a vowel or mute h, French uses mon, ton, son instead, to avoid two vowels clashing.
The rule
ma amie→ mon amie (my friend, female)ta école→ ton école (your school)sa histoire→ son histoire (his/her story)ma adresse→ mon adresse (my address)
The n links to the next word: mon‿amie (mo-na-mi).
The noun is still feminine
Only the possessive changes. Adjectives and pronouns stay feminine:
- Mon amie est très gentille.My friend is very kind.
- Ton école est grande.Your school is big.
Hearing the difference
Mon ami (male) and mon amie (female) sound identical. The context, or an adjective, tells you which: mon ami canadien / mon amie canadienne.
Only before a vowel sound
- ma copine, ma meilleure amie
- mon amie, mon ancienne voisine
When an adjective starting with a consonant comes in between, ma returns: ma meilleure amie.
The same thing happens with ce → cet (see Demonstrative adjectives) and beau → bel (see Irregular adjectives).
Practice
- _____ écoleOptions: mon · ma · m'
Show the answer
mon
- _____ adresseOptions: ton · ta · t'
Show the answer
ton
- _____ idéeOptions: son · sa · s'
Show the answer
son
- _____ copineOptions: ma · mon
Show the answer
ma — Copine starts with a consonant.
In the app, this lesson is taught one idea at a time with the examples read aloud, followed by questions that explain the rule when you get one wrong. It then comes back for review on later days until you've mastered it.