Using possessive de when owner is not a proper name

John B.C1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Using possessive de when owner is not a proper name

I keep messing up on the possession concept. The lesson covers possession using proper names, but does not mention rule for non-proper noun, example, the girl's pen (unless I missed something). The correct way is apparently the pen of the girl, le stylo de la fille, and not le stylo de fille. Can you add a note to the lesson to accentuate this, such as found on Lawless site, https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/possessive-de/

Asked 5 years ago
John B. asked:

Using possessive de when owner is not a proper name

I keep messing up on the possession concept. The lesson covers possession using proper names, but does not mention rule for non-proper noun, example, the girl's pen (unless I missed something). The correct way is apparently the pen of the girl, le stylo de la fille, and not le stylo de fille. Can you add a note to the lesson to accentuate this, such as found on Lawless site, https://www.lawlessfrench.com/grammar/possessive-de/

Sign in to submit your answer

Don't have an account yet? Join today

Ask a question

Find your French level for FREE

Test your French to the CEFR standard

Find your French level
Getting that for you now...