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forms and uses
A possessive pronoun replaces a noun preceded by a possessive determiner like mon, ton, son, etc.
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| Tammy: C'est ton béret Tex? |
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Tammy: Is this your beret Tex? |
| Tex: Oui, c'est le mien. |
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Tex: Yes, it is mine. |
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In French, possessive pronouns indicate both the possessor and the number and the gender of the object possessed:
le mien indicates that the possessor is 'I' and that the possession is masculine singular.
In the following table, the choice between the singular or plural form and between the masculine or feminine form depends on the number and gender of the item possessed.
(Note the difference in spelling and in pronunciation between the possessive determiners notre and votre
and the possessive pronouns nôtre and vôtre.)
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| mine |
| yours |
| his/hers/its |
| ours |
| yours |
| theirs |
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| singular |
plural |
| masculine |
feminine |
masculine |
feminine |
| 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 |
les nôtres |
| le vôtre |
la vôtre |
les vôtres |
les vôtres |
| le leur |
la leur |
les leurs |
les leurs
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Depending on the context, le sien, la sienne, les siens, les siennes may mean 'his', 'hers', or 'its'.
Note that for the others, all four forms of each possessive pronoun have one English translation.
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| Tex: Mon frère est musicien. |
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Tex: My brother is a musician. |
| Tammy: Le mien est professeur. |
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Tammy: Mine is a professor. |
| Tex: Ma soeur est secrétaire. |
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Tex: My sister is a secretary. |
| Tammy: La mienne est PDG. |
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Tammy: Mine is a CEO. |
| Tex: Mes parents sont américains. |
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Tex: My parents are American |
| Tammy: Les miens aussi. |
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Tammy: Mine too. |
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Note that à + the definite articles le
et les form the contractions au and aux respectively. For example:
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| Tammy: Je pense souvent à mes neveux. |
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Tammy: I often think about my nephews. |
| Tex: Je pense rarement aux miens. |
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Tex: I seldom think about mine. |
| Tammy: Oh! Tex, tu es si égoïste! |
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Tammy: Oh! Tex you are so selfish! |
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other ways of expressing possession
Possessive pronouns are one way to express possession of things or people.
However, you may also use the construction [être + à +
disjunctive pronoun], the possessive determiners or [de + noun]:
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| Fiona: A qui appartient cette photo? |
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Fiona: Who does photo belong to? |
| Tex: Elle est à moi. |
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Tex: It's mine. |
| Tammy: Oui c'est la sienne. Tu ne connais pas Rita? |
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Tammy: Yes it is his. Don't you know Rita? |
| Fiona: Qui est Rita? |
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Fiona: Who is Rita? |
| Tammy: C'est la soeur de Tex. |
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Tammy: It is Tex's sister. |
| Fiona: Ta soeur est très belle. Tu lui ressembles. |
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Fiona: Your sister is very beautiful. You resemble her. |
| Tex: Non, je ne lui ressemble pas. |
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Tex: No, I don't look like her. |
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idiomatic uses
The masculine plural forms of the possessive pronouns may be used alone to refer to parents, friends, allies etc.
Etre des nôtres, être des vôtres are common phrases with such a meaning of the possessive pronoun.
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| Tammy: Quand j'étais à Lyon, je pensais souvent aux miens. |
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Tammy: When I was in Lyon, I often thought of my folks. |
| Tammy: Fiona, j'invite des amis ce soir. Tu es des nôtres? |
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Tammy: Fiona, I am inviting a few friends tonight. Are you joining us? |
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Y mettre du sien is a common phrase that may be used with any of the possessive pronouns to mean that you are doing your share,
trying your best, making a real effort to contribute.
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| Tammy: Tex, nous avons des invités ce soir. Il y a beaucoup de choses à préparer. J'espère que tu vas y mettre du tien. |
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Tammy: Tex, we are having guests tonight. There are a lot of things to prepare. I hope you are going to do your share. |
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Faire des + miennes, tiennes, siennes,
nôtres, vôtres, or leurs are phrases suggesting misbehavior.
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| Tammy: Bette a encore fait des siennes. Hier elle a dragué Tex toute la soirée devant tout le monde. |
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Tammy: Bette has been up to her tricks again. She flirted with Tex all evening in front of everybody. |
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