This French 3 lesson explains French possessive pronouns step by step, with examples in French and English. Then practise with the worksheet on French possessive pronouns and check yourself with the quiz.
Quick answer: A French possessive pronoun replaces a noun together with its possessive adjective: mon sac becomes le mien. The article (le, la, les) is part of the pronoun, and the whole form agrees with the thing owned, not with the owner. After à and de, the article contracts: au mien, aux tiens, du sien, des nôtres.
Level: French 3 (high school, ACTFL Intermediate Low) · Standards: ACTFL Intermediate Low, WL 1.1 Interpersonal, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational
French possessive pronouns: the lesson
What is a possessive pronoun in French?
Definition
A possessive pronoun stands in for a noun that would otherwise carry a possessive adjective. Ton vélo est rouge, le mien est vert. — Your bike is red, mine is green. The article le / la / les always comes with it.
What are all the forms?
| Owner | masc. sing. | fem. sing. | masc. pl. | fem. pl. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| je | le mien | la mienne | les miens | les miennes |
| tu | le tien | la tienne | les tiens | les tiennes |
| il / elle | le sien | la sienne | les siens | les siennes |
| nous | le nôtre | la nôtre | les nôtres | les nôtres |
| vous | le vôtre | la vôtre | les vôtres | les vôtres |
| ils / elles | le leur | la leur | les leurs | les leurs |
Rule
Pick the owner’s family first (mien, tien, sien…), then match the article to the noun being replaced. Inès talking about son vélo and Karim talking about son vélo both say le sien, because vélo is masculine.
How do contractions work with à and de?
The article inside the pronoun merges with the preposition, exactly as with nouns. Only le and les change.
Examples
- Tu penses au tien ? — Are you thinking about yours? (à + le)
- Il répond aux siens. — He answers his own people. (à + les)
- Elle parle du nôtre. — She talks about ours. (de + le)
- Je m’occupe des miennes. — I take care of mine. (de + les)
- Nous pensons à la leur. — We think about theirs. (no contraction with la)
Common mistake
English mine never changes, so learners drop the article or the agreement. Write la tienne, not tienne or le tienne. To say a thing belongs to someone, with no comparison, use Ce sac est à moi; use le mien when choosing among several bags.
Spelling and sound
The adjectives notre and votre have an open o; the pronouns le nôtre and le vôtre have a closed o, and the circumflex records that difference.
Zoé’s tip
Underline the noun you are replacing, check its gender and number, and ignore who owns it. Then glue on the article: that is your answer.
Key points to remember
- The six owners give six families: le mien, le tien, le sien, le nôtre, le vôtre, le leur.
- Gender and number follow the noun that is replaced, never the owner.
- Le sien can mean his, hers or its; context decides.
- À + le/les and de + le/les contract: au mien, aux miens, du mien, des miens.
- Nôtre and vôtre take a circumflex as pronouns; the adjectives notre and votre do not.
Mine, Yours, Theirs: Replacing Owned Nouns: frequently asked questions
What is the difference between mon livre and le mien?
Mon livre is a possessive adjective and needs a noun after it. Le mien is a pronoun that replaces the whole group, so it stands alone in the sentence and takes an article.
Does le sien mean his or hers?
It can mean his, hers or its. The pronoun agrees with the thing owned, so only the context or the previous sentence tells you who the owner is.
When should I use à moi instead of le mien?
Use être à plus a stressed pronoun to state ownership: ce stylo est à moi. Use le mien when you pick one object from a group or compare it with another one.
How do possessive pronouns contract with à and de?
Le and les merge with the preposition: au mien, aux miens, du mien, des miens. With la nothing changes: à la mienne, de la mienne.
Why do nôtre and vôtre have a circumflex?
The accent marks the pronouns and a closed vowel sound, which separates them from the adjectives notre and votre. The plural les nôtres and les vôtres keeps it.