Possessive adjectives and family vocabulary
Possessives in French are like the articles: they agree with the noun, not with the owner. So son can mean 'his' or 'her' — what matters is whether the noun is masculine, feminine, or plural. The full set: mon/ma/mes (my), ton/ta/tes (your, informal), son/sa/ses (his/her), notre/nos (our), votre/vos (your, plural/formal), leur/leurs (their). We'll learn them on the topic that uses them most: family.
The full chart
mon livre (my book, m), ma maison (my house, f), mes amis (my friends, pl). ton frère (your brother), ta sœur (your sister), tes enfants (your children). son père (his/her father), sa mère (his/her mother), ses amis (his/her friends). notre maison (our house — same form for m and f), nos amis (our friends). votre maison (your house — formal or plural), vos amis (your friends). leur fils (their son), leurs filles (their daughters). Notice: notre/votre/leur drop the m/f distinction in the singular; only number matters.
It agrees with what's owned
This is the rule that English speakers trip on. son doesn't tell you whether the owner is male or female — only the noun. Pierre aime sa mère = Pierre loves his mother (sa, because mère is feminine). Marie aime son père = Marie loves her father (son, because père is masculine). To say 'his mother' you use the same word as 'her mother': sa mère. Context tells you which.
Feminine + vowel = masculine form
Special trick: when a feminine noun starts with a vowel, you use mon/ton/son (the masculine form), not ma/ta/sa. This is purely for sound — French hates the vowel collision ma amie. So: mon amie (my friend, female), ton école (your school, fem), son histoire (his/her story, fem). The word is still feminine grammatically; only the possessive borrows the masculine form. The plural is unaffected: mes amies, tes écoles.
The de + name shortcut
French has no apostrophe-s like English 'Marie's house'. Instead: la maison de Marie (literally 'the house of Marie'). Le frère de Pierre = Pierre's brother. Les amis de mes parents = my parents' friends. With le the de contracts: de + le → du. Le livre du professeur = the teacher's book. With les it becomes des: les amis des étudiants. With la and l' there's no contraction: la maison de la professeure, les amis de l'étudiant.
Family — basic terms
père (father), mère (mother), parents (parents — covers both 'parents' and 'relatives'). frère (brother), sœur (sister) — note the ligature œ, sometimes typed oe. fils (son, silent 'l'), fille (daughter — also means 'girl'). enfant (child) — same word for boy or girl, but the article changes: un enfant / une enfant. mari (husband), femme (wife — also just means 'woman'). grand-père (grandfather), grand-mère (grandmother).
