Les adjectifs possessifs
Why French possessives agree with the noun they describe, not with the owner.
The rule
Possessive adjectives ("my", "your", "his/her") agree with the noun they describe, not with the owner — this is different from English and trips up many learners.
For "my": mon (masculine), ma (feminine), mes (plural). For "your" (informal): ton, ta, tes. For "his/her/its": son, sa, ses — note that son and sa depend on the gender of the noun, not the gender of the owner.
One tricky rule: before a feminine noun starting with a vowel sound, use mon/ton/son instead of ma/ta/sa, purely for pronunciation (mon amie, not ma amie).
Examples
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C'est mon frère.That's my brother.
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Voici ma sœur.Here's my sister.
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J'aime tes chaussures.I like your shoes.
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Il adore sa voiture.He loves his car.
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Elle a perdu son téléphone.She lost her phone.
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Ce sont nos amis.These are our friends.
Common mistakes
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Paul aime sa amie.Paul aime son amie.
Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel sound (amie), use "son" instead of "sa", for pronunciation.
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Elle a perdu sa téléphone.Elle a perdu son téléphone.
Téléphone is masculine, so it takes "son" — the possessive matches the noun's gender, not the owner's.
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Mon sœurMa sœur
Sœur is feminine, so "ma", not "mon" (unless it started with a vowel sound).
