Spot the mistake: son, sa, ses and leur
Marc a perdu son clé? Elle aime son mère? Tap the wrong possessive in eight sentences: in French it agrees with the thing owned, not the owner.
- A2
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- Tap the wrong word
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In short
French possessives agree with the noun that follows, not with the owner: son père, sa mère, ses parents for both 'his' and 'her'. Before a feminine noun starting with a vowel, use mon, ton, son (son amie). For several owners: leur (one thing), leurs (several).
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Tap the word that's wrong in each sentence.
It's his/her friend Paul.
Ami is masculine: son ami.
His/her friend Julie arrives tomorrow.
Feminine but starting with a vowel: son amie.
Marc has lost his key.
La clé is feminine: sa clé, even for Marc.
The children are tidying their room.
Several owners, one room: leur chambre.
She loves her mother very much.
Mère is feminine: sa mère.
They sold their cars.
Several cars: leurs voitures.
I'm calling my grandmother.
Grand-mère starts with a consonant: ma grand-mère.
It's my school.
École starts with a vowel: mon école.
When do you use son, sa, ses or leur?
| Owner | masc. / vowel | fem. | plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| je | mon | ma | mes |
| tu | ton | ta | tes |
| il / elle | son | sa | ses |
| ils / elles | leur | leur | leurs |
Because son / sa don't show the owner's gender, French adds à lui or à elle when it matters: c'est son vélo à elle (it's her bike, not his). The vowel rule exists for sound: ma amie would be hard to say, so it becomes mon amie.
- Amie
C'est qui, sur la photo ?
Who's in the photo?
- Toi
C'est mon frère avec sa femme et leurs enfants.
That's my brother with his wife and their children.
- Amie
Et la dame, là ?
And the lady there?
- Toi
C'est leur grand-mère, ma mère !
That's their grandmother, my mother!