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The use of the possessive adjectives with feminine nouns is different in French and in English.
How to use possessive adjectives with feminine nouns in French
In most cases, you use the possessive adjectives ma, ta, or sa with a feminine noun (ma valise, ma petite sœur). See Mon, ma, mes; ton, ta, tes; son, sa, ses = my; your; his / her in French (French possessive adjectives)
HOWEVER, you need to know two things:
1. The possessive adjective's ending is always determined by the word directly following it.
2. You never use ma, ta, sa in front of a word starting with a vowel or mute h, even if the related noun is feminine: you use mon, ton, son instead, to ease pronunciation.
2. You never use ma, ta, sa in front of a word starting with a vowel or mute h, even if the related noun is feminine: you use mon, ton, son instead, to ease pronunciation.
Here are the different contexts where this rule matters:
mon / ton / son + feminine noun starting with a vowel/mute h
When ma, ta, sa is followed directly by a feminine noun starting with a vowel or mute h, it becomes mon, ton, son.
ma / ta / sa + adjective starting with a consonant + feminine noun starting with a vowel/mute h
If ma, ta, sa is followed directly by an adjective starting with a consonant, even if the related feminine noun starts with a vowel or mute h, it remains ma, ta, sa.
mon / ton / son + adjective starting with a vowel/mute h + feminine noun
If ma, ta, sa is followed directly by an adjective starting with a vowel or mute h, even if the related feminine noun starts with a consonant, it becomes mon, ton, son.
The question of "y"
In French, the letter "y" is (rarely) used as a vowel: Yves, cygne, gym... However, most words starting in "y" in French are of foreign origin, where "y" is used as a consonant: yacht, yaourt...So here's the rule of agreement of mon/ma in front of feminine nouns starting with this peculiar letter:
- If the first letter "y" is used as a consonant, then it remains ma, ta, sa.
- If the first letter "y" is used as a vowel (very rare), then it becomes mon, ton, son.
More Possessive Adjectives
Notre/nos/votre/vos/leur/leurs = our/your/their (French Possessive Adjectives)
and also the more advanced
Common mistakes with mon/ma/mes, ton/ta/tes and son/sa/ses (French Possessive Adjectives)
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